Miami University's Charter Day bourbon tasting is an annual tradition that celebrates our school's founding in a fun, entertaining way. The goal is to engage alumni, wherever they are, by reminding them of a school tradition and giving them a reason to gather and celebrate. We built a webinar program that allows us to run live events smoothly and includes a regular email marketing campaign to attract viewers. Then we had to find key talent. We were lucky to be able to combine our two favorite types of experts for this event: faculty and alumni. Phil Kollin, a Miami grad who is a professional bourbon host, was paired with a chemistry professor, Mike Crowder, whose lab on campus specializes in analyzing distilled spirits. This event is popular each year. The 2025 version had 154 people register to watch it online, and 102 showed up to view it live. It had 1,034 archived views and an average Net Promoter Score of 9.31/10. Of the 154 online watchers, eight requested more information about giving. "Charter Day Tasting--The Best American Whiskeys to Try in 2025" was a popular way to keep Miami and our traditions close to our alumni and friends.
From the Judges
Judged all agreed, this was a great way to keep alumni engaged in an on-campus tradition from afar.
