If you have been an expat in Singapore for a long time, you must have experienced the vast variety of wines and whiskeys available here. Singaporeans are always keen on having their favourite alcoholic drink whenever they are out and about in a social gathering. Oftentimes, you might even get tired of the same kind of whiskeys being offered everywhere you go.
Besides variety, the quality of the beverage is also important to keep customers engaged. If you want to enjoy the Singaporean culture to its fullest, it is essential that you be in search of new and latest kinds of whiskeys at all times.
In our hunt for new lines of alcoholic beverages available out there, one of the brands we came across is Stoli Group, which recently announced the launch of its new and ultra-premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in Singapore.
The Specialty Of Kentucky Owl
Kentucky Owl is the world’s most international forward-thinking American whiskey from Bardstown, Kentucky, the bourbon capital of the world. The brand was rejuvenated in 2014 by the great-great-grandson of Charles Dedman, (pictured below) who started the original Kentucky Owl Bourbon Distillery in 1879 on the banks of the Kentucky River.
Kentucky Owl is known for sourcing scarce and rare aged Kentucky bourbons and blending them to create unique limited-run batches. With one limited quantity batch produced each year for the global market, once sold and no longer available, each batch is eagerly anticipated by collectors worldwide.
In 2017, Kentucky Owl was bought by the Stoli Group to be its flagship ultra-premium whiskey. It now produces award-winning, high-quality whiskeys designed to demonstrate the different aspects of the whiskey maker’s craft and wisdom. Embodied by a restless spirit and unquenching thirst for knowledge and guided by the wise owl, Kentucky Owl embraces innovation and excellence in the world of whiskey making.
Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon and Rye whiskeys have recently won Double Gold and Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
A Glance Into The History Of Kentucky Owl
Kentucky Owl has come a long way from the days of its inception. The owner, Charles Dedman, had been producing for decades what was known as “the wise man’s bourbon”, up until the distillery shut down in 1916. He passed away soon after that. All remaining stocks of Kentucky Owl whiskey were put on barges to Frankfort and housed in government warehouses.
Although the government guaranteed safe storage, the warehouses mysteriously burned down 5 years later and the government failed to pay compensation. This caused the entire stock, which was around 250,000 gallons of Kentucky Owl, to be wasted. Due to this significant loss, the Dedman estate never distilled another drop of Kentucky Owl whiskey and thus the precious drink was lost.
After many years, the founder’s great-great-grandson, Dixon Dedman, grew curious about his ancestors’ success in the whiskey business and started aiming to bring the brand back to life. It was not until 2014 that Kentucky Owl was reborn with the release of Batch 1, which took 6 years to be produced and was made from some of the finest Bourbon in Kentucky. The batch was bottled at barrel proof and was uncut and unfiltered. In no time, it became a cult sensation.
The Launch Of Kentucky Owl In Singapore
The Singapore launch will showcase Kentucky Owl Bourbon Batch 11 from the brand’s annual signature barrel-proof whiskey series that caused Kentucky Owl to rise to fame. Boasting notes of bright citrus, velvety dark chocolate, and sticky toffee, Batch 11 offers a welcome mélange of mature oak, allspice, honeyed bread, and deep cinnamon palette with toasted oak, sultana, peppercorn, and fresh thyme long finish. This batch was launched in 2011 in the United States.
The first to be launched is Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon, which is the first Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced and distilled by Kentucky Owl in collaboration with the Bardstown Bourbon Company, both located in The Bourbon Capital of the World - Bardstown, Kentucky. Launched in September 2021 in the United States, the product is a blend of Kentucky Owl 4-year-old wheat and high-rye bourbons, along with 5 ½-year and 8 ½-year-old Kentucky-sourced bourbons.
An artful balance of soft wheat and spicy high-rye that provides a smooth but complex bourbon designed to drink neat, on the rocks or in a cocktail, the whiskey leads with a beautiful caramel flavour and aroma followed by notes of allspice, citrus fruit and a nudge of oak. This is the first Kentucky Owl release under Master Distiller Rhea.
The second release in The Wiseman series, Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Rye, is also to be featured in the Singapore launch. This is a new straight rye whiskey, launched in April 2022 in the United States. It is listed among Whisky Advocate’s Top 20 and Bourbon Review’s Top 10 whiskeys of the year. This blend features a 95 percent rye mash bill selected by Rhea and bottled at 100.8 proof.
Providing a rich and spicy nose with hints of fresh rye bread and slight hints of sweet caramel and cinnamon, this whiskey’s spicy character instantly fills the mouth with rich rye flavour with a long finish that starts as fresh rye bread, slowly moves towards buttered cinnamon toast and ends with a hint of English walnut.
The launch will be completed with Rhea’s third whiskey with the distillery - Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Limited Edition Bourbon Whiskey, which was launched in the United States in February 2022. This release features carefully selected barrels of Kentucky bourbon blended through Irish eyes, with some rich caramel notes and vanilla from rare older bourbons; spice and fruit from higher rye bourbons; and sweetness and citrus from wheated bourbons.
The nose features notes of sweet caramel and honey, with just enough spice married in to tease the palate. Once sipped, this limited edition offers long notes of caramel, butterscotch and frosted cinnamon roll, with hints of chocolate, orange, candy floss and some citrus peel. There is bright forest fruit on the mid-palate and a longer lingering finish with a vanilla pod and balanced wood influence.
From November 2022, Kentucky Owl will be available at dining and drinking establishments throughout Singapore.
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