O. Z. Tyler Distillery In Kentucky Brings Forth Its First Bourbon Whiskey

The O.Z. Tyler Distillery, located in Owensboro, Kentucky, is noteworthy in whiskey lore for a few reasons. Historically the facility, as bourbon writer Chuck Cowdery pointed out in 2016, is “a revival of the old Medley Distillery, home of Ezra Brooks and other bourbons, which United Distillers (now Diageo) acquired in 1991 and closed in 1992.” In modern times it is owned by Terressentia, best known for its patented TerrePURE process that’s designed to rapidly age spirits such as whiskey. The company acquired the property in 2014 after it lay dormant for many years, fixing it up, opening it to the pubic and laying down whiskey the old school way, albeit it with a bit of a 21st century touch in the mix.

Today, word is O.Z. Tyler is releasing the first fruits of its aging labor. The new O.Z. Tyler Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey, according to those behind it, is a blend consisting of 70 percent locally sourced corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley. It was aged in #4 char oak barrels for a year and a day, in a nod to tradition, and then fast filtered for eight hours with the TerrePURE process to reportedly leave “a smooth liquid with a great mouth-feel that tastes comparable to other fine bourbons.”

“Waiting for spirits to age can be costly,” said Earl Hewlette, CEO of the O.Z, Tyler Distillery and parent company Terressentia, in a prepared statement. “Thanks to this technology we can get liquids from the barrel to market much quicker, which means more product and much less loss to the angel’s share. We are not trying to compete with extensively aged whiskies, rather O.Z. Tyler Bourbon Whiskey is a smooth, delicious and affordable option that rivals many of the bourbons being produced today.”

This new bourbon is now available throughout Kentucky for around $23 a bottle. It is being released alongside a new O.Z. Tyler Rye Whiskey, of which no information was made immediately available. It should be noted as well the distillery, given its capacity to produce over 220 barrels a day, will continue to serve as a whiskey making location where old and new aging techniques dance together in a rather unique experiment.