Moving away from the sordid world of American Blended Whiskey, we’re turning towards bourbon reviews starting with something sourced: Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon. They supposedly have a distillery and entertainment mega campus on the way, though no work has been on done yet, so for now, and the foreseeable future, it’s all sourced. Which leads to the eternal question of… from where?
My best guess has always been Brown-Forman for the source of their whiskey. The profile seems to fit and they came on at a time that BF had some extra whiskey to sell if the industry rumors were true. It’s something I’ve always thought was the case, but never really saw others talking about it, and then something interesting happened last week.
This bourbon was part of the first round of the SCWC 20 Blind Bourbons event, the followup to our 20 Blind Ryes event, and one of the members guessed this as an Old Forester blind. He’s a well-versed drinker with a love of OF and hearing him say that felt a bit like a confirmation. Far from conclusive, but interesting nonetheless.
Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Undisclosed (Brown-Forman is my guess)
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: NAS (4+ years)
ABV: 48.2%
Price: $120
Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Fresh caramel, roasted grain, clove-like spice, oak, vanilla, biscuits and touches of pine and dark fruit.
PALATE
Ambiguous dark sweets, roasted grain, clove-and-nutmeg-like spice, oak, vanilla, orange circus peanuts and touches of pine and fruit.
FINISH
Medium -> Dessert sweet and a touchy grainy and oaky.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, medium-full body and a warm soft feel.
Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon Overall
Aroma is light and nuanced but what’s there is nice with the sweet and rustic notes playing out in unison; Palate follows the same but with a bit more candy-like sweetness and fewer of the rustic notes to fully balance out; Finish is a soft sweet and oaky fade that comes through as my favorite aspect of this bourbon.
It’s good, but it’s on the lighter side and I feel like it’s just quite… totally… all… there…
Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon – Final Thoughts and Score
There’s nothing exciting about this whiskey. It doesn’t get me going – it doesn’t make me want to run out and grab another. It’s just kind of… good. And at the price they’re asking for it, I should be getting more than just good. I’d happily drink it again, but I wouldn’t buy it again except for an event… like this time.
Though if you want a different perspective, it was the favorite of the night for round 1 of the SCW 20 Blind Bourbons. It got two 5/5 ratings and one of the members loved it so much they bought a bottle right after the tasting. And that’s why I love blind tastings like that.
Remove the labels and see how palates differ when they don’t know what they’re drinking. It’s easy to see why folks fell in love with this, and I hope they continue to love it. But for me, the Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon is solidly in the friend-zone.
SCORE: 3/5
Kentucky Owl Confiscated Bourbon Review $120
Overall
3- Nose (3)
- Palate (3)
- Finish (3)
- BBF (3)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Summary
It’s an ok whiskey, there’s nothing monumental or out of the ordinary here. It’s a good example of a standard bourbon, but that’s about all I can say about it.
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