Just beautiful. Long, rounded notes of caramel, cinnamon roll, taffy, butterscotch, brisket burnt ends, nutmeg, Jamaican jerk, plum pudding, ginger, light sassafras, root beer, roasted marshmallow, cotton candy, orange peel, raw honey, and pie crust. If it sounds complex, it’s because it is, and the finish just doesn’t quit, giving you a lingering taste of every note.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Summer 2018)

A blend of different bourbons aged 15, 14, 12, 7, and 6 years. A bakery shop nose offers confectioners’ sugar and warm cherry pie. On the palate, wild strawberry and cooked fruit notes of baked apples and raspberry tart meld with tiramisu and black pepper, all well-balanced against leather and oak. The finish offers chocolate spice, raspberry, cinnamon, bitter almond, and lightly roasted coffee beans. Powerful but balanced, and superbly well-integrated. (10,314 bottles)

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2020)

A blend of straight bourbons 12 to 17 years old created by Kentucky Owl co-founder Dixon Dedman for the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. The nose is fragrant and gentle, with confectioners’ sugar, vanilla custard, nougat, marzipan, strawberry jam, leather, and light spice. Caramel and raisin bread coat the palate, accented by cinnamon, toasted almond, chocolate, chicory, and savory spice. A lengthy finish of chocolate and espresso, ending with a burst of spice.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2020)

The vanilla and oak-driven nose offers layers of stone fruits, golden raisin, tropical fruit, and citrus zest, along with hints of espresso, violet, and fresh herbs. On the palate, this is so dialed in! Laser-like in its delivery of sweetness and spice, it rings clean and bright, and simply sizzles with candied ginger warmth before the finish pours on cocoa and nutty flavors. Tastes wonderfully mature, yet full of vigor.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Winter 2018)

A nose of cherry, peppermint, vanilla frosting, pound cake, buttered toast, cherries, cola, peanut shells, rye seed, and old warehouse. The palate is big and powerful yet smooth and sophisticated. It’s chewy and spicy, with chocolate fudge, peanuts, white pepper, fresh cherries, bitter espresso, leather, and old oak. There’s great length on a finish of chocolate, cocoa powder, raspberry, cigar box, and baking spice. Toasty and delicious; a tour de force.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Fall 2019)

The first Kentucky Owl release under master blender John Rhea, this bourbon drops the high proof and price point typically associated with Kentucky Owl for something more approachable—a blend of bourbons ranging from 4 to 8 years old. Green apple candies, cinnamon stick, buttered popcorn, and sage on the nose. Ginger spice and sweet bubble gum notes intertwine on a creamy palate along with blackberry tart and cocoa powder. Candied raspberries on the finish are matched with a sustained spice that lingers. Number 17 in the 2021 Top 20

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Winter 2021)

The nose is spiced—cinnamon, allspice, clove, pepper—and rich with cooked fruit—blueberry jam, stewed plums, pomegranate molasses—as well as roasted peanuts, vanilla, and oak. In the mouth, there’s more liveliness, with Big Red gum, cherry pie, blackberry cobbler, peanuts, and cinnamon-apple coffee cake. It wraps up beautifully, with chili-chocolate, roasted nuts, and cigar end. Kentucky Owl doesn’t disclose the ages of the bourbons used in this bottling, but the balance of maturity on the nose and verve on the palate work to excellent effect.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Fall 2019)

Straight bourbons aged 4 to 11 years, blended together with fruit-forward Irish whiskey flavors in mind. Golden Grahams, brown sugar, oatmeal, and grape jelly on an English muffin: a complete breakfast on the nose. A nice fruitiness carries over to the palate, where a creamy texture showcases caramel and blueberries. The finish shows good length and sweet wheat flavors. Water brings some simplicity and a corn-forward profile. (45,000 bottles)

Reviewed by: Ted Simmons (Summer 2022)

Good nose: fresh-ground corn, warm oak, and light cinnamon. Impressively friendly even at full proof: corn pudding, sun-warmed oak plank, rich and nuanced cinnamon spice, a powerful engine running strong. A splash of water brings out some sweet berries, revs up the oak and pulls out more spice, and opens up the finish into a full-throated roar of oak, corn, and sweet citrus. This is what happens when you let a good barrel run at full throttle. Sourced whiskey. (Kentucky only)

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Winter 2014)