Spirits · Kentucky
Kentucky Owl
A revived 1879 Kentucky bourbon brand, now in bankruptcy proceedings.
- Founded
- 1879
- Founded by
- Charles Mortimer Dedman; revived by Dixon Dedman
- Based in
- Kentucky
Making it since
1879
Their story
Kentucky Owl began in 1879, when pharmacist Charles Mortimer Dedman started distilling on the banks of the Kentucky River. Prohibition shut it down in 1916, federal agents seized the stock, and the warehouse holding it later burned.
In 2014 his great-great-grandson Dixon Dedman brought the name back with small batches blended from barrels he selected himself. The brand later joined Stoli Group, which planned a large distillery campus in Bardstown, Kentucky, and former Four Roses executive John Rhea took over blending.
Stoli Group USA filed for bankruptcy in late 2024, and in January 2026 its U.S. assets, including Kentucky Owl, moved into Chapter 7 liquidation. The trademark and the Bardstown land are expected to be sold, so the brand's future is uncertain.
How it's made
Kentucky Owl has not distilled its own whiskey in the modern era. Its releases are blends of sourced Kentucky bourbon, with barrels chosen and married by the blender.
I just keep calling him a magician because I don't know how he does it
Why we carry them
We think any Kentucky Owl on the shelf is worth a look for bourbon fans, given the uncertainty around future releases.
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