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Kentucky Owl Confiscated

woody spicy
3.5
(3)€164United States, Kentucky, Bourbon

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

This bourbon carries a real grudge. Its name honours barrels the government seized from C.M. Dedman just before Prohibition. Those casks vanished and were never tasted again. Dixon Dedman, his great-great-grandson, revived the family brand in 2014, almost a century later. The blend leans floral and fruity, then turns warm with toffee, cinnamon spice and a citrus lift. A final flicker of cayenne keeps it lively. Sip it neat and you taste caramel, vanilla and gentle oak, with a sweet edge of strawberry. It is a story of loss bottled as something worth celebrating.

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Master of Malt
Master of Malt
700ml
€175.55 ( £149.5 ) Buy 

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About the distillery

Distillery

Kentucky Owl

On the banks of the Kentucky River in 1879, a pharmacist named Charles Mortimer Dedman started distilling bourbon. He called it Kentucky Owl and marketed it as the Wise Man's Bourbon. That fortune did not last. In 1916, federal agents seized roughly 250,000 gallons of his bourbon and barged it to a warehouse in Frankfort. The warehouse mysteriously burned to the ground soon after, wiping out the entire stock. The brand sat dormant for decades until Dedman's great-great-grandson, Dixon Dedman, began tracking down and hand-blending barrels of Kentucky bourbon. His small batches sold out almost entirely by word of mouth, and demand made Kentucky Owl a cult brand practically overnight. Stoli Group later bought the brand in 2017 and continues to produce it today. Kentucky Owl's whisky is built from sourced and blended stock rather than a single house recipe, a trait few bourbons openly embrace.

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8Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Kentucky Owl Confiscated

Kentucky Owl Confiscated is a bourbon whisky from Kentucky Owl, a historic name from Kentucky in the United States. Founded by C.M. Dedman in 1879, the brand carries a story tied straight to Prohibition. This is bourbon whisky with a rich past and a balanced, modern character. The name is no marketing flourish. Just before Prohibition, government agents confiscated C.M. Dedman's barrels. Those casks were never seen or tasted again. The family business faded for nearly a century. Dixon Dedman, his great-great-grandson, revived Kentucky Owl in 2014. Confiscated honours the spirit that was lost and the legacy that survived it. This was the first Kentucky Owl release sold in all fifty states. That milestone matters for a once-tiny cult label. The blend opens floral and bright, with fresh fruit and a clean orange zest lift. Caramel and butterscotch follow, layered over soft vanilla and a thread of toffee sweetness across the palate. At 48.2% ABV, Kentucky Owl Confiscated keeps real backbone without turning harsh. Cinnamon spice and gentle cardamom warm the middle. Then come notes of cream, nutty grain and mellow oak from years in charred barrels. A faint cayenne flicker sharpens the finish. The wood stays present but never dominates, giving the bourbon a steady, woody frame. This is a bourbon whisky to drink neat, slowly, with a little thought. Each sip nods to the seized casks behind the name. Sweet, spicy and faintly strawberry-tinged, it rewards patience. Kentucky Owl built its modern reputation on blends like this one, and Confiscated shows exactly why.