Kentucky Owl’s Latest Whiskeys Included A Rum Cask Finished Rye

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
November 21, 2022

Kentucky Owl recently announced the debut of two new expressions – Batch 12 of its bourbon and a rye that saw finishing time in Bayou XO rum casks.

The first, Kentucky Owl Batch #12 bourbon is, according to those behind it, a bringing together of 7- to 14-year-old bourbons blended with two different 4-year-old bourbons. Official tasting notes for it make mention of a nose that “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 (57.9% ABV) with a suggested retail price of $400.

The other new expression is Kentucky Owl Mardi Gras XO Cask Limited Edition. Starting with a 11 year old Kentucky straight rye, it is then finished for over one year in Bayou Rum XO Casks. The backstory of this whiskey is that, “in celebration of the spirit of Mardi Gras and the pride of Louisiana,” “as barrels rolled in from Kentucky one muggy, misty March morning, Bayou Rum Master Blender Reiniel Vicente Diaz thought to himself, ‘there’s 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.

“On the nose, Kentucky Owl Mardi Gras XO Cask Limited Edition greets drinkers with robust toasted rye bread notes, smothered in farm fresh sweet butter, with hints of cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. The mouthfeel begins with a robust, flavorful Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, followed by a flurry of sweet butter whipped with allspice. The finish is smooth, with the sweet softness of butter and allspice giving way to a long and warming nutmeg coda.”

The Mardi Gras edition is bottled at 102.8 proof (51.4% ABV) with a suggested retail price of $500.

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