Kentucky Owl Bourbon (Batch #10)

Rating: 23/23 N: Sweet caramel with some rich virgin oak. Something a bit floral with mild fruit in the orange and cherry ranges. I gradually get a rich, sweet, faintly savory, vanilla underbelly (weird side note - I made two sets of notes about this days apart and I used the term "underbelly" in both despite having no recollection of having ever used it in any tasting notes prior). There's tons of wood and I get some nice ginger and clove coming out of it. It's a nice balance of rich and complex, that I'm very much enjoying contemplating. P: OK, this is really impressive. I get some super musty wood with prickly spices in the cinnamon and pepper realms along with a bit of wood. Some sweet chocolate comes out of the musty wood. I get vanilla coming out of the chocolate and then a bit of tartness with bitterness like orange peel, but then that turns a bit into orange blossoms with just a faint hint of cherry here and there. It makes me think of Elijah Craig B520, though side by side the Elijah Craig is clearly much stronger and goes more in on the wood and spice. This seems maybe somewhere between that and Russell's Reserve 10. This is sweet and fun with some nice mustiness in a way that keeps me from putting a pin on its age. There isn't alcohol or raw distillate showing any particular youth here, which is terrific. There's this plentifully finished - or at least plentifully aged in fresh barrels - flavor that makes me think of Barrell. The complexity is just fantastic. It seems like there is a decent amount of age here, but not necessarily a ton. Whatever barrels were used were clearly high quality. The balance is just superb. This bourbon makes me stop and just appreciate it with every sip, to the extent that I forget to take notes and just savor it for minutes until I forget what notes I need to write. F: Some musty wood and chocolate remain, alongside prickling spice. A bit of (non-floral) orange comes out too and there's a decently full layer of vanilla underlying the whole thing. Faint herbal notes with dashes of mint come in at times too. The balance and complexity are great into the finish. - Conclusion - There isn't a moment of this bourbon that I don't especially enjoy. It's rich and mature with decadent complexity and balance. The barrel tastes a bit fresh, hinting that this might not be super old, but there's also some terrific mustiness. It's really a puzzle. Side by side with some of the best, this stands tall. It avoids the youthful, finished sweetness of Barrell Dovetail while having all of that range of flavors. It's not a proofy as Elijah Craig Barrel Brood B520, but it has similar chocolate and spice notes and improved complexity. There's some great funkiness that reminds me of Wild Turkey Rare Breed and some spicy burn that makes me tend that way too. Still, the complexity and balance always hold up here. This is an amazing bourbon. I started by putting it at at least a 20, then I upped that to a 21. Now, I have it at at least a 22 and - for the first time ever - I might give a bourbon a 23. On a last sip, this again performs well against Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520. In fact, shockingly, I think that I would take this one over the B520. OK, if there is a bourbon worthy of a 23, this is it. Whatever this is, it's one of only two 23s I've given. It isn't perfection, but it has achieved an unreasonably high level of excellence. Simply amazing. This is sample A in an unlabeled set of 4. There are about 15 different bourbons and ryes that this could be. Of the four samples, this is the one that I'm the least confident about the identity of. It's also the one I like the best though. I think that Four Gate Split Stave is the most likely individual based on how much fresh barrel flavor there is in here. If it isn't that, I would guess Kentucky Owl Batch 10, Bomberger's Declaration 2020, or Cream Of Kentucky 13, simply because I have no idea what to expect of any of those. The proof seems too high for Barterhouse 20 or Rhetoric 25 and the complexity seems too great for Sam Houston 14. - The Reveal - I'm not at all surprised that I got this one wrong - I really was just guessing. And in my defense, my second guess turned out to be correct. The real surprise here is how amazing Kentucky Owl turned out to be! The balance of age and complexity and harmonizing of myriad bourbon flavors is magnificent. I'd always thought of Kentucky Owl as another "me too" overpriced sourced bourbon, but this has completely changed my mind. I now desperately need to hunt down one of these bottles. Tremendous thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for giving me a pour of this treasure!

Very cherry, much wood. Dust? Bottle 8058/14030. Hardly feels exclusive. Let’s see where this fits into my track record of poor choice, NDP splurges. I’ve never tried KY owl before. When I could have picked up a batch 3 or 4 of their bourbon at $150-180 I scoffed and passed in my fleeting youth. Then this batch pops up everywhere around town. And it sits. And it sits. And I wonder... Probably because this now commands a $300 ticket to ride. When I randomly see it for $230 my feeble mind thinks “What a bargain!” And now we pour, either to celebrate or forget - we will find out soon. The color is nice - a bit of a rusty orange or even light copper. The nose right out of the freshly opened bottle is somewhat robust with cherries, candies fruit, baking spices, vanilla and wood. Fairly classic. As it rests a bit of earthy, dusty funk comes out and something like an old leather couch. Still, the nose is predominantly sweet but suggests an entertaining balance. This is not bad. Medium bodied at first and like a winding country road - it takes you around a few bends before an oily, long finish sets in. Let’s apply throttle and carve again. Butter cake, vanilla, brown sugar, dried pineapple, marzipan, tobacco on the nose. This lands so nicely with a balance of brown sugar, butter, nutmeg, clove and then cherry, marzipan and then the oily walnut and oak turn until we start to fade into bananas foster, cinnamon and brown, dry tobacco finish. Ok, so I’m impressed. As in really happy with this. It takes me places. Few pours do that these days. All of this from an initial pour. It just checks my boxes. So now we turn to the question of financial regret. At $230 this is one of the most expensive bottles I’ve purchased. Garrison Bro. Cowboy is there too. If I had to pick? Don’t make me do that... the Cowboy might win but might lose depending on the day. The finish on this is just so classic, so lasting. That said, how far off is a $60 bottle of ECBP, an $80 bottle of Remus III/IV or a unicorn $75 ($699) bottle of Weller Full Proof? Well, truth be told it is more complex with a better finish but only slightly. It’s like when Car and Driver posts 0-60 times and you see a 2.9 instead of a 3.6 and think holy smokes!! And then you realize both are more than what most could handle. Neither are practical on the daily. They both will cost you. And frankly a 4.1 second launch will still thrill. And with that I say adieu. Not often will I praise a NDP, but this is an exception. I would like ~$50 back but whatever, I’ve done worse.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a pentagon on it. The nose starts with rich decadent chocolate turtles with candied pecans followed by fruits of orange zest and apple fritters along with vanilla creme brûlée that transitions to spearmint, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with fruits of mandarin oranges, candied cherries and apple fritters along with a light floral element followed by a moderate spice that fades to spearmint, ginger, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with orange zest, stewed cinnamon caramel apples, chocolate covered candied pecans, vanilla snack pack pudding, ginger, spearmint, cloves, vintage leather and polished mahogany that lingers for minutes. This is basically bourbon perfection in a glass, that starts with big and bold traditional bourbon flavors on the nose followed by a very rich decadent mouthfeel with precision balance of those bourbon notes flowing perfectly until the finale of a long lingering finish that feels like forever with those traditional bourbon notes, vanilla pudding, herbal spices and old polished leather showcasing some very well aged bourbon. Well now that I’m blown away, I’ll need to put this in a cage fight with some of my favorites to see if it can wear that 5-star belt. The competition was fierce with Garrison Brothers Cowboy coming in strong but ultimately suffering a knockout kick to the head due to its overall youthful character really being taken advantage of by this one and Heaven’s Door 10-year Redbreast Finish was simply screaming for mercy after the first punch by this monster that left it feeling a bit thin and needing to go compete in a featherweight class instead of the heavy weights were this one belongs. So sheesh, alright Lex way to blow some of my favorites away, but what on Earth is this, how big of a hole is my bank account going to suffer and can I still buy it? Drumroll please, cue smoke machines and laser show followed by pyrotechnics unveiling the slip that states…….. Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 10!!!!

Nose: cherry and spice. Very thick/full nose. Some type of sweet bread is also there. Kind reminds me of eagle rare on the nose. Obviously there’s a price difference. Palate: full and creamy and lots of spice on first sip. Definitely 120 proof. Great coating though. Almost WLW like at first. Second sip: more fruit forward but just as viscous. Finish: pretty lengthy finish on this one. Vanilla til the end. Overall: as always with this one the price point is the first thing brought up. I told myself I wouldn’t buy this and several months later I got a different job with much more income and so I saw it again and said why not give it a go. This bourbon is good. For being a high proofer i think it probably ranks with the best somewhere. The difference is that price. I still stand by that if bourbon msrp keeps going up I won’t be into bourbon as much as I am currently. This bottle will last me a very long time but I don’t think I’d ever buy backups or try to get the other batches. If I finish this one and have a little bit of funds to get another I will buy it if I see it, otherwise I wouldn’t think about it. If this bottle was $75-150 I’d probably take a different view. I’ll give this a good rating only because it’s about the juice not how I feel on the price of it. But if I included price in my judgement it’d be a 1 out of 5. If you haven’t had this you’re not missing out really. Find yourself a Stagg jr and you’ll be much happier.

Second blind barrel proof bourbon sample from @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington The nose is bourbon, good bourbon. After really whiffing on my guess for the last sample, I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not really smelling Old Forester funk, but there's something there that feels familiar. On the palate, it seems like it's there too. This one has a good bit of burn to it. Gonna add a splash of water. Water helps here. The nose is softer, more vanilla, butterscotch. A little cherry on the palate is starting to hit me more like a Buffalo Trace product. But it's got more musty wood than I've experienced in any BT bourbons. The last sip reminded me of Elijah Craig Uncut. Is this something from Heaven Hill? I don't remember there being an ECBP in the mix. It’s good, but for me needs a little water. Like the last one I tried, I like this one a lot, but I wouldn’t necessarily sell the farm to buy one.

To start, this was my first big purchase! I was so excited to find this and actually be able to purchase. Now with that being said, the NOSE on this beauty!!!!!!! OHMMMMGGG!!! I could not stop smelling this and I mean for hours!!!!! All I could smell was blackberry cotton candy buttery cake! I was salivating! I have never smelled a bourbon like this and I never want to smell another like this, it was that good. We had to rinse the glass to move on to our next tasting, so wouldn’t continue to smell that yumminess! As for palate, I loved the sweet oaky upfront mouth feel and really enjoyed the black licorice rye finish. I’m a little partial to my ryes! Overall, it was a great find (insert happy dance)! I cannot wait for it to open up and have my second taste. I’ll be back!