John Rhea - BourbonSphere

Catching Up with Ardbeg’s Colin Gordon

It’s been three years since Colin Gordon left Islay’s Lagavulin Distillery to move down the road and take over for the retiring Mickey Heads at… Read More

It’s been three years since Colin Gordon left Islay’s Lagavulin Distillery to move down the road and take over for the retiring Mickey Heads at Ardbeg. Since then, Ardbeg has commissioned a completely new stillhouse and visitor traffic has recovered from the pandemic. We’ll catch up with Colin Gordon on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, the clock is ticking toward a partial U.S. government shutdown that could affect whisky makers and consumers, while Scotland’s government is debating an increase in the minimum unit price for whisky and other alcoholic beverages. We’ll also hear from Campari CEO Bob Kunce-Concewitz on his company’s expansion plans, check in with Wild Turkey’s Eddie Russell on the latest expansion of the Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse Series, and get a preview of this year’s Diageo Special Releases from master blender Stuart Morrison.

10 Years In…And a Lot More Left to Learn

Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell founded High Wire Distilling in Charleston, South Carolina 10 years ago this week. They started out with no distilling experience,… Read More

Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell founded High Wire Distilling in Charleston, South Carolina 10 years ago this week. They started out with no distilling experience, but have earned the respect of other distillers with their unique Jimmy Red Bourbon distilled from an endangered strain of corn. We’ll talk with them on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, two distilleries were sold to new owners this week, while planning permission has been granted for two more distilleries in Scotland. Former Diageo master blender Maureen Robinson has come out of retirement to lead the Kentucky Owl Bourbon brand, and Sweden’s Mackmyra Distillery marks a milestone.

Stoli Group Announces Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Bourbon

Alcohol conglomerate Stoli Group has announced the limited release of Kentucky Owl St. Patrick’s Limited Edition Bourbon Whiskey. This new release celebrates the long-standing ties that connect Irish and Kentucky whiskey making. For this rele…

Alcohol conglomerate Stoli Group has announced the limited release of Kentucky Owl St. Patrick's Limited Edition Bourbon Whiskey. This new release celebrates the long-standing ties that connect Irish and Kentucky whiskey making. For this release, Kentucky Owl Master Blender John Rhea partnered with Louise McGuane, Ireland's first modern whiskey bonder and founder of J.J. Corry Irish Whiskey.

Louise McGuane says:

We tasted through the lens of bringing fruit-forward profiles that are desirable to us as Irish whiskey makers, but we also wanted something still representative of the Kentucky Owl style. This blend tastes like the Kentucky Owl products whiskey drinkers love, with an echo of big and bold juicy fruit flavors so familiar in Irish whiskey.

This release is made up of blends of various bourbons aged 4 to 11 years and contains only 6,500 cases. It comes in at 100 proof (50% alcohol) and contains an MSRP of $135. The tasting notes are:

Nose: Notes of sweet caramel and honey, with just enough spice married in to tease the palate.
Taste: Long notes of caramel, butterscotch and frosted cinnamon roll, with hints of chocolate, orange, candy floss and some citrus peel. There's bright forest fruit on the mid-palate and a longer lingering finish with vanilla pod and balanced wood influence.

My Take

I just learned that St. Patrick's day always falls on March 17th so it'll be here before we know it. I think this is a really interesting concept and a wonderful marketing tactic by Kentucky Owl and Stoli Group and I'm not sure why other brands don't do similar releases for specific holidays. The closest is Woodford coming out with Kentucky Derby and December Holiday bottles.

In terms of this specific release, the $135 MSRP is a steep price, but this is a unique release so if you're a Kentucky Owl fan, this could be for you. Additionally, this isn't showing up on the State site as being available in Ohio, so if this is something you're interested in, it may mean a trip out of state.

What do you think? Drop a note in the comments below.

Source: Stoli Group