Kentucky Owl Bourbon (Batch #8)

Pretty much can’t find this anymore except at ridiculous pricing, tasted older than it was. I don’t think Stoli is gonna be able to match these older batches

The back story to this brand is as follows. Charles Mortimer Dedman created Kentucky Owl Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey in 1879 and saw it do well until 1916’s pre-Prohibition days. He, like many of his peers, was ordered to cease production and ship his barreled liquid to government warehouses. To add misery to that madness, those warehouses mysteriously burned, Dedman never received payment for the lost whiskey, and he never returned to distilling. Long story short 98 years later his great great grandson resurrected the label got sourced stock and hey presto. I took my first sip straight as I do with drams, get the essence and then often spit it out and wait till my tounge has acclimatized. This even at 60% plus needed none of that. Very well balanced between ethanol and flavor. I put a liberal dose of water in and it really opened up. Now as I harp on about, Dr pepper cough syrup and menthol are not flavors I enjoy and this is what the dram is about....and I still like it! That is brilliant execution when you can take flavour profiles someone doesn't like and make a dram that they do. Hats off! I looked up the price as was like woah no wonder the sample was not cheap. Even more impressively this is batch 8. Usually with sourced whiskey you get a cracker first few batches or runs and then over a short or long time they get watered the shite down quality wise. Not this one. Apparently they don't have a fixed flavour profile they blend to they just get good stock and create the profile around that. Definately helps keep quality up. Now the longer I drink the more my aversion to the flavour overcomes the excellent effort of blending so started 4.25 by the end 3.75 to 4. Still if you see it in a bar definitely try it

I can see the appeal of Kentucky Owl now. It is unlike any bourbon I've ever had. I had this blind, and initially didn't think much of it...but as I sipped, it grew on me. Nose: Cherry pie, corn dust, caramel, spice, an earthy minerality. Palate: Initial burst of heat that zaps the front of your palate...it almost comes off as a codeine cough syrup type of tingling. Think menthol. I love barrel proof bourbon, but I've never had one like this. This tingle carries itself throughout the rest of the tasting experience. You will be able to decipher some other notes, but this is the star of the show. The mouthfeel is fairly thin compared to what I was expecting. It's NOT thick and unctuous...I was expecting a caramel bomb with a luxurious mouthfeel...I was expecting like a Knotter 12 type bourbon. Finish: The finish on this dissipates quickly, but then stays with you for the rest of the pour. As I said, it's really a singular experience. Not the best mouthfeel...not the best nose...however, the culminating experience is unlike anything I've ever tasted.