The Kentucky Owl brand was originally founded by C.M. Dedman in 1879 in Bardstown, Kentucky. The distillery went dark during the Prohibition era and remained dormant until the brand was revived in 2014 by Dixon Dedman, great-great-grandson of the company’s original founder. The Stoli Group acquired the brand in 2017, and Dedman stayed on as the company’s master blender. Stoli Group immediately released plans for a grand $150 million “Kentucky Owl Park” to be constructed in Bardstown, Kentucky. However, park construction never got underway, and in 2021, Dedman parted ways to pursue an opportunity with Brindiamo Group, a leading bulk spirits supplier. Kentucky Owl’s master blender role transitioned to John Rhea, who had previously been inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2016 and who spent nearly 50 years in the bourbon industry. Later in 2024, Stoli Group, LLC and Kentucky Owl, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This announcement left the future of Kentucky Owl uncertain.

‍‍Kentucky Owl Batch 13 is the company’s first and only release since the 2024 bankruptcy filing, and according to the press release, “The expression is the final bourbon blend created by former Master Blender and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee John Rhea prior to his retirement.” Notably, the bourbon was bottled in June 2023, before the bankruptcy announcement, which begs questions regarding the future of the brand. However, we reached out for comment and a company representative stated, “Kentucky Owl certainly continues on and is part of the Stoli Group portfolio. While Kentucky Owl LLC, which holds our aging whiskey inventory, is currently undergoing financial restructuring under Chapter 11, the Kentucky Owl brand itself continues with business as usual. Stoli Group continues to oversee the Kentucky Owl brand, with Stoli USA handling sales and distribution. Our commitment to crafting some of the finest bourbon remains, as you can see by the Batch 13 release.”

Vanilla and juicy citrus form upfront. They’re joined by a soiree of caramel, brown sugar, and an interesting hint of chocolate, which integrates nicely into the mix. The aroma is pleasant and rich, masking the bourbon’s proof. However, it is straightforward and traditional in nature, trading memorable attributes for overall balance and likability.

The sip is surprisingly delicate up front, giving way to sweeter notes of brown sugar and vanilla custard at the onset. A hint of orange emerges, along with a deeper infusion of caramel, which quickly forms a base. Spice develops and intensifies, highlighted by a blend of baking spices, including light cinnamon and allspice. The mix of flavors is impeccably balanced, layered, and delivered with a satisfying mouthfeel. The result is an exceptional midpoint and clear highlight of the sip.

Spice reaches its high point as it transitions into the finish, and lays a base for additional flavors to build upon. Caramel, vanilla, and a hint of tobacco are complemented by orange peel and a touch of graham cracker. Like the palate, the finish is softer than expected considering the bourbon’s proof. However, spice manages to linger, and while the initial burst of sweet flavors dissipates more quickly, lingering baking spices and cinnamon hold on for a long time, making for a satisfying conclusion to the sip.

The Kentucky Owl brand has morphed over the past decade since its reincarnation. However, bourbon batches have remained fairly consistent in terms of being well-balanced, high-quality blends. That remains true with the company’s latest batch, which was blended over two years ago by now-retired Master Blender John Rhea. This edition is very pleasant and shows off just how well Rhea could blend, seeing how he primarily uses bourbons aged 8 and 9 years, but also uses bourbons aged as little as 4 years. The brand has included bourbons aged as little as 4 years in the past, but typically, a double-digit aged bourbon is also included in the blend. This is the first release that keeps within single digits. While it forgoes oak, it delivers a cohesive sip that’s hard not to like.  

There aren’t any flavor boundaries being pushed here, at least not to a large degree. Instead, it’s an exercise in finesse, plain and simple, and it’s a game of nuance. Other brands strive to push this boundary as well, with notable examples including Barrell Craft Spirits' Barrell Bourbon line, the annual Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch, and Pursuit Spirits, among others. Four Roses is the only non-sourced example in that mix, but the concept is the same across the group. Each drives deeper into meticulously blending straight bourbons together in an attempt to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 13 fits that bill, creating a blend that moves the needle on straight bourbon within the meticulously crafted category.

Kentucky Owl has been held out as an ultra-premium brand since it was launched in 2014, and that is true of the company’s latest release, which maintains a high quality. Clocking in at a $400 asking price for a blend of bourbons aged 4-9 years is arguably insane, as the bottle is near the top of limited release price point with an MSRP nearly as high as Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year, which clocks in at $450 (though only a few get the chance to snag one at that price). But more realistically, annual limited releases from major Kentucky distilleries tend to be less. Brown-Forman’s [almost always] exceptional King of Kentucky asked $350, last year’s 14 year Parker’s Heritage Collection came in at $170, and Jim Beam’s Little Book, which is relatively accessible, was $160 for the latest blend, which contained whiskeys aged 7-11 years. Given this landscape, Kentucky Owl has positioned itself as an ultra-premium brand, plain and simple. For most, it’s too high a cost for the level of differentiation the release provides. But for a few, the need to collect every batch or just plain curiosity with a brand that has been dormant for about a year will make the bourbon’s high price tag worthwhile.

Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 13 is a well-executed blend with a flavor profile that will appeal to many, but it’s also way too expensive. From a critical standpoint (and one that directly compares the quality of bourbon in the bottle to the price point), the math just doesn’t compute. But from a brand positioning standpoint, the combination makes more sense. We wrote about The Birth of $500 Bourbon in late 2022. Kentucky Owl rode this wave up and got a little lucky with widely revered blends and enough chatter to create a buzz around the brand that was so noisy it garnered the attention of spirits giant Stoli Group.

But coming off the tail end of a decade-plus surge in seemingly unstoppable demand for more bourbon, we have since seen a cooling off in the industry. The playing field has changed, with more quality bourbon in the marketplace today than the world has ever seen. We have seen brands drop out and shut their doors, leaving their inventory of barrels behind. We’ve seen production ramp up across the board, and now there are fewer buyers. Can an ultra-premium blend of single-digit aged bourbons get the attention of consumers at such a high price point? Stoli Group is putting that to the test. While Batch 13 is a well-executed blend, its $400 asking price is going to be a challenge for what it offers in today’s marketplace.