Whiskey Review: Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon Whiskey

It’s back to school season here in the United States. And for the first time in over a decade, I’m among those heading back to class. (I was finally convinced by my wife that a master’s degree would be a good idea, and so I’m once more inundated with textbooks and homework assignments.) But one thing that I have going for me this time around is the comfort of a good glass of whiskey, and I figured there would be no less apt brand to try this week than The Wiseman from Kentucky Owl.

History

The Kentucky Owl brand of whiskey was founded by Charles Mortimer Dedman in 1879 in Kentucky (as one might guess based on the name). For the next few decades, the brand flourished and gained a loyal following and solid profitability.

That all changed in 1918 when the state of Kentucky enacted its local prohibition on alcohol production, and the distillery was unable to obtain an exemption to continue operating. Kentucky state law enforcement officers confiscated all 4,700 barrels of delicious whiskey that the distillery had on hand and transported them to Frankfort for safe keeping in one of their secure warehouses — which promptly burned down in a suspiciously short period of time. Rumors still exist that bootleggers liberated all of the whiskey from the warehouse and set the fire deliberately to cover their tracks.

The Dedman family never received any compensation for the shuttering of their business and the confiscation of their property.

In the years following this black scar on their family fortunes, the Dedmans purchased a famous hotel in Harrodsburg, Kentucky called The Beaumont Inn. Located in prime real estate within the region of Kentucky known for its bourbon production, the business thrived especially in recent years with the popularity of bourbon tourism, but the family ran into a small issue: local prohibitions still prevented them from selling whiskey to customers. That law changed in 2003, and the family embraced the ability to sell local whiskey to visitors, eventually expanding to include two additional tavern locations besides the original hotel.

Dixon Dedman, great-great-grandson of the original founder of Kentucky Owl, decided to build on his family’s success by reopening the Kentucky Owl brand of whiskey and selling that in their taverns instead of other people’s brands. Rather than going through the time consuming process of creating a new distillery he instead chose to import spirits from other distilleries, blend them together, and bottle them under his own brand name.

The idea worked, and Kentucky Owl once again gained prominence as a popular brand of bourbon. In 2017, the family sold their brand to the Stoli Group, a Latvian-based distilled spirits producer owned by Yuri Shefler and most famous for their Stoli (previously “Stolichnaya” prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine) brand of vodka. The Dedman family is no longer involved in the brand.

Product

• Learn More: What Is Bourbon Whiskey?

All of the spirits produced by Kentucky Owl are sourced and blended, meaning that they are produced by other unnamed distilleries. As such, we don’t really know much about the contents of this bottle beyond the fact that this is a blend of four different Kentucky straight bourbon whiskies that have been put together by Master Blender John Rhea.

In order to meet the definitions of a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, the spirit needs to be made from a batch of grains of which at least 51% are corn. As for what makes up the rest of that volume… well, it’s a mystery. Those grains are crushed, cooked, and fermented to create a mildly alcoholic liquid that is then distilled to concentrate the alcohol within the liquid and selectively capture the intended flavors. That new whiskey is then placed into brand new charred oak barrels for a period of at least two years to mature.

Up until this point, the whole process has ostensibly happened within the boundaries of the state of Kentucky. But for Kentucky Owl, they actually do their blending and bottling in… Lacassine, Louisiana. Four different batches of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey are trucked across state lines, mixed together, and placed into bottles for distribution and sales.

Just to hammer home the obvious: this is a historical brand of Kentucky whiskey that is no longer produced in-house, is actually located in Louisiana, no longer owned or having any involvement by the original owners’ family (despite them still being around), and is now owned by a Latvian company in a spat with the Russian government.

Packaging

I like this design… but it also annoys me all to heck.

Generally speaking, we’re looking good on the construction of this bottle. There’s a rough shape of a whiskey bottle, with a larger body, rounded shoulder, bulging medium length neck, and a wood and cork stopper. It looks appealing, and there’s even a little embossed pattern along the bottom of the bottle like a band had once been wrapped around it.

In broad strokes, the label is also enjoyable. It has a lot going on, but the lighter tones of the background compared to the darker and richer tones of the logo and the blue shield emblem keep it from seeming too cluttered. It also gives off a very turn of the century kind of vibe, which goes nicely with this design and concept.

But there are two things that really irk me. Namely: the phrases “1879” and “Kentucky”. These two words are repeated time and again on the bottle, but neither really are honest representations of the company as it currently exists. No matter how many times the bottle can proclaim “Since 1879”, the truth is that this brand was founded within the last two decades – only the Dedman family legacy goes back that far, not this brand, this recipe, or this bottle (obviously). And it may be sourced from Kentucky, but the company barely has any ties to the United States, let alone Kentucky, anymore. Keeping up those claims makes me suspicious of everything else that this company proclaims.

Neat

This starts off on the right foot at least, with a nice color to the liquid and the right level of saturation to the aroma. It’s a little richer and thicker than normal without being overpowering, which is what I want from a good bourbon. Coming off the glass, the first thing I’m smelling is brown sugar and vanilla, like the first hints of a good creme brulee. From there it picks up some richer notes like clove, cinnamon, allspice, and dark chocolate. As things mellow down, the last notes I can identify are cedar chips and just a hint of orange peel.

Taking a sip, the very first note I got can only be described as ‘orange creamsicle’. That orange flavor seems entangled perfectly with the brown sugar and vanilla to produce a flavor that is as delicious as it is zesty and rich. As the flavors develop, some cinnamon and allspice join the party, along with perhaps some softness from a bit of wheat content, and a little dark chocolate on the end — but that orange citrus remains the most prominent feature I can identify.

On Ice

With the addition of some ice, this becomes a darker and richer spirit. The levity that we saw from the orange citrus is still there, but what I think has changed is that the aromatic lift from the cedar chips has disappeared. That leaves us to the dark chocolate and the toasted brown sugar as the primary driving flavors, and the orange citrus is along for the ride.

I do want to call out that this seems to stay together as a coherent flavor profile better than the average whiskey. It’s still a good sipping spirit both neat and on the rocks, with plenty of depth and character to keep things interesting. Normally, a spirit might fall apart with added ice, but this still works all on its own. (And likely provides enough of a base for cocktails to come.)

Cocktail (Old Fashioned)

Darker and richer flavors in a whiskey really help make an old fashioned shine. Thankfully, that’s what we have here — but there’s also the addition of some of that orange peel zest that brings some welcome and delicious citrus to the mix. I’ll usually add some orange bitters to my cocktails if I’m drinking for pleasure, but this doesn’t really even need it.

If anything, the orange flavor makes this something closer to a mid-century fruit basket of an old fashioned than it does a traditional version. The darker and richer flavors are there (like the singed brown sugar and dark chocolate), but that orange peel keeps it bright and lively. I almost want to lean into it here, adding some maraschino cherry juice instead of simple syrup to the next version I try.

Fizz (Mule)

I don’t usually use the words “zesty and refreshing” when I describe a Kentucky mule. I’m normally looking for some spice and some balance to the flavors, something that has a bit of richness and depth to it. But in this version, this seems closer to a tiki cocktail than it does to a bourbon classic.

The orange peel, the lime juice, and the ginger beer are all solidly in the driver’s seat of this experience. It’s citrus forward and tangy, to the point where I almost expect it to come with a tiny umbrella. It might not be the usual flavor profile, but it’s a choice — and I’m actually not mad. For a summer cocktail, this works pretty well.

What’s disappointing is that there isn’t much texture or depth to the flavor profile. I’m getting some surface level flavors, but nothing much from the dark chocolate or the brown sugar that we saw before. Those have pretty much left the scene.

Overall Rating

Here’s my dilemma: I am thoroughly annoyed by the branding and marketing of this whiskey. The hollow proclamation of a Kentucky bourbon, the misleading provenance and age of the brand… all of it seems intended to paint a specific picture that isn’t necessarily true. But I really cannot argue with the results.

This is a whiskey that is nice to sip either on its own or on the rocks, makes a great old fashioned, and has an interestingly tasty take on a Kentucky mule. There are some areas where I think other spirits could have done better, but I’d definitely keep a bottle of this on the shelf at home.

In terms of areas for improvement from a technical perspective, I think I could have done with a little more richness to the dark chocolate components. Give me a little more depth and I’m happy here — but that orange citrus flavor was a nice surprise throughout, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it.

All reviews are evaluated within the context of their specific spirit classification as specified above. Click here to check out similar spirits we have reviewed.

Overall Rating: 4/5
An orange citrus forward choice for a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey that works nicely any way you sip or mix it.