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Kentucky Owl Straight

spicy woody
4.5
(1)€146United States, Kentucky, Bourbon

Flavours

Whisky character

Fresh
Warm
Mild
Full
Smooth
Spicy

Taste mentions

Facts

Charles Mortimer Dedman was a pharmacist who founded Kentucky Owl in 1879. His distillery stood on the banks of the Kentucky River. He sold his bourbon as The Wise Man's Bourbon until Prohibition shut him down in 1916. Federal agents seized 250,000 gallons and shipped it to the state capital. The warehouse burned to the ground soon after. Almost a century later, his great-great-grandson Dixon Dedman brought the name back. Batches are small and every one has sold out. Cinnamon and rye spice lead, then vanilla and caramel settle in. Pour it neat and the pepper hangs on.

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Master of Malt
Master of Malt
700ml
€302.85 ( £260 ) Buy 
700ml
€302.85 ( £260 )

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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.

4Average rating

8Whiskies on Distilld

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About the Kentucky Owl Straight

Kentucky Owl Straight is a bourbon from Kentucky, bottled at 60.1% ABV. The name comes from a label that Prohibition wiped out a century ago. Nothing is added for colour, so what sits in the glass comes from the wood. Straight bourbon has to spend at least two years in new charred oak barrels. That char, plus the strength, shapes everything that follows. Expect a spicy, sweet pour rather than a gentle one. Charles Mortimer Dedman was a pharmacist, not a distiller by trade. He founded the brand in 1879 and built a distillery on the Kentucky River. His bourbon sold as The Wise Man's Bourbon until Prohibition ended it in 1916. Federal agents seized 250,000 gallons and shipped it to the state capital. The warehouse burned down soon after, taking every barrel with it. Dixon Dedman, his great-great-grandson, revived the label in 2014. The nose opens with cinnamon and rye spice over a light floral lift. Pepper follows on the palate, sharp at first, then softened by vanilla and caramel. There is honey underneath, sweet enough to balance the heat. The finish runs long and woody, with oak and more cinnamon holding on. At this strength the flavours arrive fast and stay put. Kentucky Owl Straight is not the product of one distillery run. Barrels are bought and hand selected, then blended into small batches. Dixon Dedman spent six years choosing barrels before he had a batch worth selling. Every release has sold out, largely by word of mouth. No two batches are identical, so the label stays a moving target. That is what separates it from a standard, repeatable bourbon.