When two guys from the oil fields decided to create a whiskey, they didn't hire consultants or focus groups. They just asked their fans what they wanted. Turns out, a whole lot of working Americans wanted a drink that understood them.
Five Nine Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey started small in 2022, but now it's rolling out across the country. The brand comes from Troll Co., a company that's built a following of over 1.7 million people who connect with slogans like "Dirty Hands Clean Money" and "Support Blue Collar." These aren't just catchy phrases on t-shirts. They're a rallying cry for folks who keep the country running but don't always get the recognition they deserve.
The whiskey's name tells you everything you need to know. Five Nine doesn't refer to some fancy distilling technique or vintage year. It's for the people who don't work nine-to-five. It's for the ones who measure their day by what they've built, fixed, or created, not by punching a clock. The name honors what the founders call "Tools-Down" time – that moment at the end of a long day when you can finally put down the wrench, the hammer, or whatever tool you've been using and enjoy a small victory.
From Oil Fields to Bourbon Bottles
Justin Lazerte and Jason Tremblay started Troll Co. back in 2017. They weren't business school grads with a startup plan. They were workers in the oil refining industry, putting in long hours doing tough, dirty work that most people never see but everyone depends on. They knew firsthand what it meant to work sunup to sundown.
The company grew through what they call trial and error, grit, and determination. But mostly, it grew because they understood their audience. They were their audience. The brand resonated with fellow blue-collar workers who felt like someone finally got them.
By 2021, Troll Co. had built something real. So Lazerte and Tremblay did something smart – they asked their community what they wanted next. The answer came back loud and clear: whiskey.
"We wanted to give our fans a fantastic weekly 'Tools Down' experience, and that's why we're excited to be launching Five Nine Whiskey across the country in retail stores and bars," Lazerte explained.
Tremblay put it even more simply: "Because our community inspired Five Nine Whiskey, our team says, 'it's whiskey by us, for us'."
Finding the Right Partner
Creating a whiskey isn't like printing t-shirts. You need the right people who know what they're doing. So the team brought in Rick Tremblay, Jason's uncle and a branding expert, to help make it happen.
Rick had watched his nephew and Lazerte grinding away in the oil fields for years. He'd seen them celebrate small wins with whiskey shots every weekend. When they polled the Troll Co. community, Rick heard the same story over and over from different people.
The search for a distillery partner led them to Kentucky, the heartland of American bourbon. They found what they were looking for in Owensboro, at the state's 10th oldest distillery. Walking through that facility, Lazerte and Tremblay recognized something familiar – the same dedication to quality and craftsmanship they demanded from themselves in their own work. The partnership was set.
What's in the Bottle
Five Nine Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a high-rye blend made with 70% locally-grown Kentucky corn. For bourbon drinkers, that high-rye content means a bit more spice and complexity than your standard bourbon. It's a whiskey with character, which seems fitting for a brand built around people with character.
The bourbon isn't trying to be the fanciest bottle on the shelf. It's designed to be the one you reach for at the end of a real day's work, whether that work happens in coveralls, work boots, or anything in between.
The Nationwide Rollout
What started as a regional release in 2022 has grown into a full nationwide expansion. Five Nine Whiskey is now landing on shelves and back bars across multiple states. You can find it in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Missouri. For those who can't get to a local retailer, the whiskey is available for purchase online at Fiveninewhiskey.com.
The expansion makes sense when you look at how Troll Co. built its following. The 1.7 million fans didn't come from flashy advertising campaigns. They came from authentic connection with people who felt seen by the brand. Those people exist in every state, not just where the company started.
More Than Just Marketing
There's something different about Five Nine's approach. Most alcohol brands spend millions creating an aspirational lifestyle that has nothing to do with their actual customers. They show beautiful people in fancy settings doing things most folks will never do.
Five Nine goes the other direction. It celebrates the reality of working life. The founders didn't have to imagine what their customer wanted because they were that customer. They'd lived those long days and valued those moments when you could finally crack open a drink and reflect on what you'd accomplished.
"For years I saw Jason and Justin working long, hard hours in the oil fields and every weekend they would toast their small wins with a shot of whiskey," Rick Tremblay recalled. "When we polled the Troll Co. community for ideas, we heard many similar stories."
That authenticity shows up in every part of the brand, from the name to the messaging to the decision to let their community guide their product development.
A Bigger Movement
Five Nine Whiskey isn't just trying to sell bourbon. It's part of something larger – a movement recognizing and celebrating blue-collar workers who've felt invisible for too long. These are the people who build houses, fix infrastructure, produce energy, grow food, and keep everything running. They work jobs that require skill, dedication, and toughness, but don't always get respect.
Troll Co. built its brand on giving those workers a voice and a sense of pride. The whiskey extends that mission into a new product category. Every bottle is a reminder that the work matters, the people matter, and the moments when you can set down your tools and relax matter too.
The phrase "Dirty Hands Clean Money" captures this perfectly. There's no shame in working with your hands, in getting dirty, in doing the kind of labor that's physically demanding. That work is honest. It's valuable. And it deserves celebration.
What's Next
The nationwide expansion of Five Nine Whiskey represents a milestone for both the brand and its community. What started as two guys in oil fields making t-shirts has become a lifestyle brand with a whiskey, millions of fans, and a message that resonates across the country.
But based on how Troll Co. operates, this probably isn't the end. They'll likely keep listening to their community, keep developing products that matter to them, and keep building something authentic in a world that often feels manufactured.
For now, though, workers across America have a new option when it's finally time to set down the tools. They can reach for a bourbon that was made by people who understand exactly how they spend their days and what that end-of-day moment means.
That's not a small thing. Recognition matters. Feeling understood matters. And sometimes, it comes in the form of a bottle with a name that says you don't have to work nine-to-five to work hard, to build something, or to deserve a moment of satisfaction when the day is done.
Five Nine Whiskey isn't trying to compete with centuries-old bourbon heritage brands or ultra-premium bottles that cost more than a day's wages. It's carving out its own space for a different kind of drinker – one who might have grease under their fingernails, dirt on their boots, and every reason to be proud of both.
