The Stubborn Bar

In 2017, we helped entrepreneur Tri Vo create the name and brand for Fierce Whiskers. Back then, Tri didn’t have a product or even a distillery built yet, but he had a clear intention. He wanted to make a premium whiskey in a place where it’s really damn hard to make a premium whiskey — Austin, Texas.

So we designed a brand that was uniquely Austin and embraced Tri’s determination to make a high-end whiskey here. And we summed up the brand’s ethos in one simple phrase: Greatness through stubbornness.

Fast forward to six years later, Fierce Whiskers was ready to release its first 2-year Straight Rye painstakingly distilled, aged and bottled in Austin. To honor how hard it was to make, we helped them launch the product by creating a pop-up whiskey bar in a place that was intentionally hard to get to — the middle of Lady Bird Lake. We called it The Stubborn Bar and promoted like a new bar opening in town. People were given the opportunity to try the new rye for free, but only if they were stubborn enough to get there.

Build & Activation by Street Factory Media | Event photography by Paul Pryor