Kentucky Owl

Kentucky, United States. Owned by Stoli Group.

Region: Kentucky
Owner: Stoli Group
Limited lines: 1
Editions tracked: 2

Kentucky Owl Bourbon (numbered batches). Picture from SipWhiskey.

About Kentucky OwlUnited States

Kentucky Owl was founded in 1879 by pharmacist Charles Mortimer Dedman, whose distillery stood on the banks of the Kentucky River and made bourbon until Prohibition stopped the work in 1916, when federal agents seized 250,000 gallons of his whiskey. The brand stayed dormant until 2014, when his great-great-grandson Dixon Dedman revived it as a non-distiller producer, blending bourbon from sourced barrels with help from Strong Spirits in Bardstown. Stoli Group bought the brand in January 2017 and in November 2017 announced a $150 million plan to build Kentucky Owl Park, with a distillery and visitor center, on a 420-acre quarry in Bardstown, but little has been built there. John Rhea, a Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member, became master blender in 2021 after Dixon Dedman left, and his last blend was Batch #13 in 2025. Stoli Group USA and Kentucky Owl filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 27, 2024.

Limited lines

Each Kentucky Owl line in the book, with dates and shop stock.

No.	Line	Age · strength	Last release	Next	Editions	Shop stock
001	Kentucky Owl Bourbon (numbered batches)	No age statement · 56.8% ABV	June 2025	No estimate	2	Sold out

Edition archive

2 editions across 1 line, newest first.

No.	Released	Edition	Line	Strength	Bottles
001	June 2025	Batch #13	Kentucky Owl Bourbon (numbered batches)	56.8% ABV	Not stated
002	November 2022	Batch #12	Kentucky Owl Bourbon (numbered batches)	57.9% ABV	Not stated

How to get its releasesKentucky Owl

Kentucky Owl sells its bourbon as numbered small batches, each a different blend of sourced bourbons with no fixed blending rules. Batches go out in limited quantities to select stores across the United States and online through the retailers Reserve Bar and Flaviar. Batch #13 launched in July 2025 at 56.8% ABV with a suggested retail price of $399 for a 750ml bottle. American Whiskey Magazine reports that every batch has sold out, almost entirely by word of mouth.

Where it isUnited States

Location	United States
Whisky region	Kentucky
Owner	Stoli Group

Other Kentucky distilleriesLimited lines

Jim Beam5 lines
Maker's Mark2 lines
Woodford Reserve2 lines
Buffalo Trace29 lines
Heaven Hill8 lines
Angel's Envy1 line
Bardstown Bourbon Company3 lines
Lux Row Distillers1 line
Blue Run Spirits1 line
Michter's8 lines
Four Roses2 lines
Jefferson's Bourbon1 line

Sources

Kentucky Owl Releases Batch #13 Bourbon, Breaking Bourbon
FEATURE: The story of Kentucky Owl, American Whiskey Magazine
Stoli Group Gets its Talons into the US Whiskey Market with Acquisition of Kentucky Owl Bourbon, Distillery Trail
Stoli Group and Kentucky Owl Bourbon File for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Distillery Trail
Kentucky Owl Releases Final Batch #13 Bourbon as Master Blender John Rhea Retires, The Whiskey Wash
KENTUCKY OWL Releases Batch #13 Bourbon, Breaking Bourbon
Kentucky Owl Bourbon and Stoli Unveil 21st Century Design & 3D Rendering of its New Pyramid Shaped Distillery, Distillery Trail

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