Kentucky Owl Adds A Rye Whiskey To Its Mix Of Sourced Juice

Kentucky Owl has long been known in its namesake state for the quality bourbon sourced and blended by Dixon Dedman, the man behind it. The recent acquisition of this brand by a larger company has brought on new things for this once small label, as we mentioned in our story on the release of the bourbon for the first time ever outside of Kentucky. Now word has come of the first ever Kentucky Owl rye whiskey as well.

Kentucky Owl Rye Whiskey Batch 1, according to those behind it, is a 11-year-old straight rye whiskey offering produced from a collection of barrels by Dedman. It is a 110 proof expression that will see a much larger amount of distribution compared to the bourbon, with 25 markets getting bottles of it starting in September. These include California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Price wise, expect to drop around $130 for a bottle of this rye. You’ll find official limited tasting notes for it at the end of this article.

“Good rye, to me, is not an everyday pour,” said Dedman in a prepared statement. “It’s a sipping whiskey that, at its core, should be thought-provoking and heavy-hitting. We tamed this combination of barrels to make Kentucky Owl Straight Rye Whiskey a bit more approachable to the casual drinker, while still achieving a blast of sensation to the palate and the full-flavored nature that really defines rye whiskies. I’ll always make bourbon, but rye’s got a place in my heart, too, and I plan to enjoy this one while sitting by the fire.”

On the nose, Kentucky Owl Straight Rye Whiskey features vanilla, cloves and lavender with sweet pine and oaky undertones. The taste immediately coats the entire palate, with nutmeg and cinnamon giving way to pepper and vanilla on the front with a hint of anise across the middle before finishing with a subtle, gripping cinnamon spice.