Kentucky Owl The Wiseman’s Bourbon

Review: Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon

Kentucky Owl began life in 2014 as a small batch, boutique whiskey brand whose ultra-limited bourbon releases quickly attained near Pappy-like levels of adoration, complete with ridiculous secondary valuations on top of already generous SRPs. In 2017, the brand broke into the broader market with a series of small batch, well-aged rye releases and sold to spirits behemoth Stoli Group, whose aim was naturally to make Kentucky Owl a household name. The launch of Confiscated, a bourbon we have never had the chance to review, didnt exactly put it on the map, but the brand appears to be undergoing a bit of a redesign with a new offering that includes their own contract-distilled bourbon and a new Master Blender to boot. Per the press release:

Lets check it out.

90.8 proof.

New Release: Kentucky Owls The Wiseman Straight Rye Whiskey Is Hitting Soon

Kentucky Owl, HQd in Bardstown, KY, has announced the second release in The Wiseman series, a new straight rye whiskey available in April across the U.S.

The new whiskey joins The Wiseman Bourbon released by Kentucky Owl® in September 2021 and named one of Whisky Advocates Top 20 and Bourbon Reviews Top 10 whiskies of the year.

The Wiseman Straight Rye is a 95% rye mash bill selected by Kentucky Owl Master Blender John Rhea. Bottled at 100.8 proof, The Wiseman Straight Rye has a rich and spicy nose with hints of fresh rye bread and slight hints of sweet caramel and cinnamon . The spicy character instantly fills the mouth with rich rye flavor with a long finish that starts as fresh rye bread and slowly moves towards buttered cinnamon toast and ends with a hint of English walnut.

Following the successful launch and customer response to our Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Straight Bourbon, were delighted to quickly follow this with the launch of Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Rye. Were confident our customers will also love this product it is exciting times ahead with Kentucky Owl.

NIK KEANE, GLOBAL CATEGORY LEADER at Stoli

Stoli Group purchased Kentucky Owl in 2017. Originally founded by C.M. Dedman in 1879, the Kentucky Owl Bardstown distillery went dark during the Prohibition era and remained dormant until a descendant revived the brand in 2014. Since then, the companys small batch releases have sold out quickly and received rave reviews.

Kentucky Owl Releases The Wiseman Bourbon

Kentucky Owl is releasing The Wiseman Bourbon, its first Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced and distilled by Kentucky Owl in collaboration with the Bardstown Bourbon Company.

The new bourbon is described as a blend of Kentucky Owl 4-year-old wheat and high-rye bourbons, along with 5 ½-year and 8 ½-year-old Kentucky-sourced bourbons.

The Wiseman Bourbon is an artful balance of soft wheat and spicy high-rye that provides a smooth but complex bourbon designed to drink neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail, said John Rhea, Kentucky Owl master blender, in a prepared statement. The product leads with a beautiful caramel flavor and aroma followed by notes of allspice, citrus fruit and a nudge of oak.

The Wiseman Bourbon

This is the first Kentucky Owl release under Rhea, who started with the distillery in June. Rhea previously served as Four Roses Distillerys chief operating officer, where his responsibilities included quality control, maturation, evaluation and product blending. He was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2016 and served as chair of the Kentucky Distillers Association board of directors.

The Wiseman is the beginning of the next chapter for Kentucky Owl and Stoli Group, said Damian McKinney, Global CEO of Stoli Group. We are continuing to evolve, innovate and grow across all segments of the spirits market. Stoli Group purchased Kentucky Owl in 2017.

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Kentucky Owl Mardi Grax Xo Cask Limited Edition

Per the brand, Kentucky Owl® Mardi Gras XO Cask Limited Edition is an extremely small release created thanks to Stoli Groups diverse portfolio.

Beginning with a Kentucky Owl® 11-year-old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, the product was then finished for over one year in Bayou Rum XO Casks . Created in celebration of the spirit of Mardi Gras and the pride of Louisiana, the rare Bayou XO Casks create a unique whiskey. The Mardi Gras edition is bottled at 102.8 proof with a suggested retail price of $500.

As barrels rolled in from Kentucky one muggy, misty March morning, Bayou Rum Master Blender Reiniel Vicente Diaz thought to himself, theres a lot of good times rolling around in these barrels. The thought was reminiscent of the Mardi Gras mantra, laissez les bons temps rouler let the good times roll and in that moment the flash of inspiration came to pour this beautiful rich rye liquor into 38 very special, freshly emptied, Bayou Rum XO Mardi Gras ultra-premium rum casks.

Diaz knew the humidity of the unique Louisiana climate worked wonders on his own Bayou rum and was curious how it would shape the rich Kentucky rye. He knew filling the barrels in March would give the whiskey a good long, hot, humid summer to extract lots of lovely flavor, and he was patient enough to wait a further year and another sizzling summer before allowing the rest of the world enjoy this unique expression.

TASTING NOTES

For more information, visit kentuckyowlbourbon.com.

The Wiseman Bourbon Review

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman

Kentucky Owl dates its brand identity back to 1879, and was one of many Bardstown distilleries that were shuttered by Prohibition, never to reopen. The brand was revived in 2014, in the middle of the Bourbon Boom, and fast gained a reputation for producing excellent one-time releases based on well-sourced, middle aged whiskeys. The new Kentucky Owl was acquired by Stoli in 2017, and then became one of the contract production customers of Bardstown Bourbon Company .

Now the company has a new regular release item, their first under Four Roses veteran and new Master Blender John Rhea and their first incorporating whiskeys made under their contract with BBCo. Rhea took over from Dixon Dedman, the modern founder and great-grandson of the original founder Charles Dedman, earlier this year. His Wiseman uses four year old wheat and high-rye bourbons from BBCo, plus sourced 5 1/2 and 8 1/2 year bourbons. Its bottled at 90.8 proof.

The BourbonThe scent of Wiseman is based squarely on honey and caramel, accented by a little earthy cocoa and a spicy dusting of clove and cinnamon. The palate develops in that vein, coming across as a candy of honey, caramel and toffee in the main, but with a new note akin to canned peaches, plus a vague note that straddles being grainy and oaky, and the familiar spicy dusting from the nose. The finish is short and non-descript, subtracting from what was otherwise an experience that had some real character to it.

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Kentucky Owl O Usque Bourbon Ultra

Se há algum lado positivo na pandemia, deve ser o aumento da apreciação do líquido marrom dourado: o uísque bourbon. Assim como seu homólogo, o uísque escocês, o interesse pelo bourbon tem crescido constantemente ao longo dos anos e as marcas estão aproveitando a oportunidade para se apresentar aos consumidores. Uma das marcas que fizeram sua incursão em Cingapura é a Kentucky Owl, uma marca de uísque americana do Grupo Stoli. Procurada por conhecedores de uísque em todo o mundo, a marca ultra-premium de bourbon foi rejuvenescida em 2014, mas suas raízes remontam a 1879.

Originalmente fundada por Charles Dedman, a Kentucky Owl era conhecida por ser a produtora do bourbon do sábio antes de a destilaria fechar em 1916 e sua morte em 1918. Durante a década de 1920, os EUA passaram por um período conhecido como Proibição, onde uma proibição nacional sobre bebidas alcoólicas foi aplicada, o que levou o Kentucky Owl a perder todos os seus estoques restantes de bourbon para o governo quando foi dimensionado. O armazém que continha o uísque, com cerca de 250.000 galões, foi misteriosamente incendiado em 1923 e isso significou o fim do Kentucky Owl.

Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon Review

Originally established by Kentucky distiller Charles Mortimer Dedman in 1879, Kentucky Owl was a once-prosperous brand that faded out of memory after prohibition. In 2014 Dedmans great-great-grandson Dixon Dedman and his business partners, Mark & Sherri Carter revived the brand, initially offering small-batch bottlings of barrel proof bourbon blended using stocks from undisclosed sources. The brand quickly earned a cult following for the quality of its releases and demand consistently outstripped supply. In 2017 it was announced that global ultra-premium spirits and wine company Stoli Group USA had acquired the brand from Dedman, taking over US distribution, sales, marketing, as well as the global rollout for the brand. With Stoli on board, the brand finally had the resources to go from a KY-only brand to a global brand with capital to secure future stocks, contract distillation, plans for a state-of-the-art $150m distillery, consistent releases, new styles of whiskey being available, and numerous limited releases.

Today the brand continues to grow domestically and internationally under the care of bourbon industry heavyweights such as Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee John Rhea and David Mendell . With work continuing on their own distillery the brand continues producing their own stocks in collaboration with the Bardstown Bourbon Co. with these stocks now finding their way into recent releases.

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Kentucky Owl The Ultra

The four best sellers of the brand will be made available: Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 11, Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon, Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Rye and Kentucky Owl St. Patricks Limited Edition Bourbon Whiskey.

If theres any silver lining to the pandemic, it has got to be the increased appreciation for the golden brown liquid: bourbon whiskey. Like its counterpart, Scotch whisky, interest in bourbon has grown steadily over the years and brands are sizing the opportunity to introduce themselves to the consumers. One of the brands that have made its foray into Singapore is Kentucky Owl, an American whiskey brand under the Stoli Group. Sought out by whiskey connoisseurs worldwide, the ultra-premium bourbon brand was rejuvenated in 2014 but its roots could be traced back to 1879.

Originally founded by Charles Dedman, Kentucky Owl was known to be the producer of the wise mans bourbon before the distillery closed in 1916 and his death in 1918. During the 1920s, the US underwent a period known as Prohibition, where a nationwide ban on alcoholic beverages was enforced which led to Kentucky Owl losing all of its remaining stocks of bourbon to the government as it was sized. The warehouse that held the whiskey, close to 250,000 gallons, was mysteriously burned down in 1923 and that spelt the end of the Kentucky Owl.

Kentucky Owl Batch #12

Kentucky Owl goes back to its founder Charles Dedman in 1879, but the brand did not survive Prohibition. Dedmans great great grandson, Dixon Dedman, revived the brand in 2014 with Batch #1. In 2021, Bourbon Hall-of-Famer John Rhea , joined Stoli, becoming head Master Blender for their whiskey portfolio. His first release for Stoli, Kentucky Wiseman, debuted last year.

Batch #12 is the latest limited batch release, created by Master Blend Rhea. For Batch #12, Rhea blended very particular well aged, bold bourbons per the brand: 7- to 14-year-old bourbons are blended with two different 4-year-old bourbons to create this unique blend.

TASTING NOTES

The nose has sweet spice and caramel notes, with a hint of butterscotch and a long bouquet pleasant aroma. The taste is a pleasant rush of warm spice with a robust caramel and cream sensation that melts into hints of passion fruit and spicy citrus. The finish is long and pleasant, with the caramel and cream lingering. Batch #12 is bottled at 115.8 proof with a suggested retail price of $400.

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Stoli Group Launches Kentucky Owl In Singapore

• Stoli® Group Expands Ultra-Premium Portfolio with New Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Now In Singapore

• Known for Sourcing Scarce, Rare Aged Kentucky Bourbons To Create Unique Limited Run Batches, Award-Winning Kentucky Owl® Sought By Whiskey Connoisseurs Worldwide

SINGAPORE, Nov. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Stoli® Group is proud to announce the launch of ultra-premium whiskey brand, Kentucky Owl®, in Singapore. Kentucky Owl® is the world’s most international forward-thinking American whiskey from Bardstown, Kentucky, the bourbon capital of the world.

Rejuvenated in 2014 by the great great-grandson of Charles Dedman who started the original Kentucky Owl Bourbon Distillery in 1879 on the banks of the Kentucky River, Kentucky Owl® now produces award winning, high quality whiskeys designed to demonstrate the different aspects of the whiskey maker’s craft and wisdom. Embodied by a restless spirit and unquenching thirst for knowledge and guided by the wise owl, Kentucky Owl® embraces innovation and excellence in the world of whiskey making.

From Prohibition to Missing Stocks – Kentucky Owl®‘s Long and Interesting History

Singapore Launch Kentucky Owl®’s 4 Best Sellers To Date

Kentucky Owl® will be available at dining and drinking establishments island-wide from November 2022. For more information, visit www.kentuckyowlbourbon.com.

Kentucky Owl Wiseman Bourbon Whiskey

Kentucky- Kentucky Owl Wiseman is a bourbon made for those who want to innovate and take on the world. Crafted by our premium distiller this bourbon is full caramel aroma, it’s followed by notes of allspice, citrus fruit, and an oak finish.

2 oz.

Muddle sugar and 1 orange peel in glass. Add bitters and bourbon. Stir well. Add ice cubes and stir again. Garnish with fresh orange peel.

Bourbon, Americas native spirit, traces its heritage to immigrants who brought their whiskey-making skills to the American colonies in the 18th century. Rye was the crop of choice for them, because it was easier to establish than the traditional barley. But when settlers pushed west to Kentucky, which had gained a reputation for fertile soil and pure spring waters, corn became the base material for their whiskey, and it established a style that Kentucky could call its own.

Although its historically affiliated with Kentucky, Bourbon today may be made anywhere in the United States, so long as producers follow a recipe and process that is set by law.

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Kentucky Owl Wiseman Bourbon Review

American Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey90.8 proof$60 SRP

Please enjoy my Kentucky Owl Wiseman Bourbon Review!

Have you heard of The Wiseman Bourbon from Kentucky Owl? This bourbon is unique for the brand because it is produced and distilled by Kentucky Owl in collaboration with the Bardstown Bourbon Company. Its a blend of Kentucky Owl 4 year old wheat and high rye bourbons, combined with 5 1/2 and 8 1/2 year old Kentucky sourced bourbons. It is also the first release under Master Blender John Rhea. The prior Kentucky Owl bourbons and ryes were produced by Dixon Dedman, who is no longer with the brand. Kentucky Owl is owned by the Stoli Group.

Lets taste it:

Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

Nose: Caramel, dark stone fruits, but also cherry Kool-Aid baking spices, cinnamon, mild oak, light cocoa. Mild alcoholTaste: Caramel, tea, apple juice, light sugar sweetness but also some barrel char later onFinish: Black tea, some cinnamon black pepper builds with oak and some dryness moderate burn. Moderately long finish.

Wiseman Bourbon doesnt taste and finish quite like it noses. It starts off with a fair amount of fruit and caramel, yet when returning to the nose after taking a sip, cinnamon becomes more evident. The taste is initially also a little sweet and fruity, but fairly rapidly develops stronger tea, black pepper, oak and dryness.

Summary

Are you a Kentucky Owl fan? Have you tried the Wiseman Bourbon? What did you think? Cheers!

Joe Rogers The Whisky Exchange

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