Spirit Of The Week: Kentucky Owl Batch #13 Bourbon

Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame blender crafts his final magnum opus for the historic whiskey label.

“The great thing about each batch release from Kentucky Owl is that there are no rules, and I get to create an expression that showcases the art and science of blending,” John Rhea shares with Maxim. “I knew that Kentucky Owl had some incredible stock of older high rye bourbons, so I wanted to use those to form a strong foundation for the blend. The wheated bourbons that are a little bit younger were a perfect complement to round it out.” 

What the former Master Blender of Kentucky Owl speaks of is his final expression ever (allegedly), the highly coveted Batch #13 Bourbon. The historic label was originally founded back in 1879 in Bardstown by Charles Mortimer Dedman, but like most bourbons Kentucky Owl’s distillery shuttered during Prohibition. Serendipitously it was the founder C.M.’s great-great-grandson Dixon who revived the brand in 2014, its bottles quickly catching fire in the torrid bourbon scene and instantly elevating Kentucky Owl into rarefied space. 

When Dixon sold to the Stoli Group, the esteemed Master Blender — who was inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2016 — came out of retirement to take the Kentucky Owl reins in 2021. Not an easy request given Rhea had already invested nearly a half-century in the world of bourbon, including 17 years serving on the Kentucky Distillers’ Association’s Board of Directors. But like the mob summoning Michael Corleone back into service, the whiskey kept pulling him back in. 

“When I came on board, Kentucky Owl’s goal and my goal were the same: secure excellent bourbons, then produce unique blends that bring out the best of the best characteristics of the individual bourbons for a product that tastes good, smells good and feels good,” he adds. “I knew that the one thing that would bring me out of retirement was the opportunity to serve as a steward to Kentucky Owl, so it was an exciting release for me.”

Now once again Rhea is putting away the blending tools and whiskey thief, knowingly crafting Batch #13 as his final magnum opus for Kentucky Owl. Will it really be his last whiskey ever, we ask? “I’ve had a little bit of whiskey running through me for quite a few years now, so I can’t say that this is my last blend ever—but I don’t have any plans right away.” 

Rhea’s final blend begins with five different whiskies comprised primarily of eight- and nine-year-old higher rye bourbon barrels. He then added a splash of younger wheated whiskies for liveliness. “When you sit down to relax with a pour of Batch 13, the vanilla and caramel that hit your palate initially really continue to shine through and become even richer as the whiskey evolves,” the HOF blender shares. “I love how the higher rye bourbons in the blend create depth and the small bit of wheated bourbons add just enough zest and freshness.”

Kentucky Owl Batch #13 comes bottled at a potent but beautifully rich 56.8-percent ABV with a SRP of $399.

Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.