Kentucky Owl Straight Rye Whiskey, Batch 2, Drops In Volume, Rises In Price

Now I don’t want to come out and say those behind this brand are going a bit over the top with this, but to be fair consumer demand does in some cases drive the powers that be to see how far they can stretch your dollar as you stare at the bottle on a retail shelf. Is it worth it? We can’t really say until we try it (we did give Batch 1 a very respectable score when we reviewed it, and Whisky Advocate awarded it high marks as well), but a nearly $70 price jump will be something we consider should we get a sample to taste.

“We crafted this straight rye whiskey to be more approachable to the casual drinker while containing all the good parts of whiskey without any of the bad,” said Dixon Dedman, Kentucky Owl Master Blender, in a prepared statement. “It’s like you melted a cinnamon roll and gave it a little kick at the end to remind you it was whiskey. I was so proud of the product we put out with Rye Batch #1 last year, and what we were able to do with Batch #2, I think is really something special.”

Plans call for this whiskey to be available this month in the following markets: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Colombia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Limited official tasting notes suggest “honey, cinnamon and strawberry jam undertones. The combination of rich sweetness and baking spices coat the entire palate, while hints of honey and red pepper linger, giving a long-lasting finish.”