Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
I underestimated Kentucky Owl.
I didn’t realize the bourbon cult behind this beautiful, old school Bluegrass State bottle. It arrived, fairly inconspicuous, alongside a bottle of hibiscus liqueur. It was offered with the same level of PR casualness of Terry Bradshaw’s whiskey, a decent-enough bourbon aged two years and not ideal on its own. It languished in my liquor cabinet a couple months before I pulled it out.
What I got was the opposite of a cheap mixer. Kentucky Owl cracked my ass right out of the bottle with rich flavor and a spirit that had clearly been aged and blended with care. I’d figured the “Batch No. 12” was a gimmick on the label to sucker anyone taking a quick glance into thinking it’d sat in oak 12 years waiting for its turn. It hasn’t, but it has the smoothness and strength capable of convincing you otherwise.
Plus, gimmick bottles don’t typically run you $300 to $400 MSRP at the liquor store (you can get it for a lot less at the right places. Like Costco, impressively).
After going in blind I dropped the backup strategy of seeing how it would serve as a mixer. This would be perfectly fine as a very expensive whiskey and Coke and also an immensely stupid one. It’s clear this bourbon has everything it needs to stand up on its own.
But is it worth the cost?
Kentucky Owl Batch No. 12: A-
Despite the high proof, there’s no burn to this. You get a little vanilla oak and creamy caramel hiding beneath the grain that reminds you you’re dealing with prime Kentucky mash. That gives way to those minor earthy fruits — raisin, berry, maybe a little rice pudding which isn’t a fruit but you get the point. Finally, the warmth you’d expect clocks in, leaving a pleasant aftertaste behind that works in tandem with that sweet fruit.
It’s a great bourbon, layered with dense flavors and easy to sip. Is it worth $400? I’m not gonna tell you how to spend your money, but I can get a whiskey I enjoy for an eighth to a quarter of the cost. On the other hand, bourbon nerds have made it nearly impossible for me to find Blanton’s at this point, so there’s logic in paying a little premium for something great that’s also available.
So yeah, if you can find this at Costco and don’t mind dropping $130 on a single bottle of liquor — hey, do you. You won’t be disappointed. That’s probably a little rich for my blood, but I’m enjoying the hell out of the fifth I’ve got right now.
Sorel: B+
The taste is really quite pleasant. The label says hibiscus and while it’s a little floral the flavor I’m getting most from it is light, sweet apple. Mixed with vodka and tonic this would be an absolute hit. In fact, mixed with any light soda and a neutral spirit it’ll probably be pretty solid. Maybe a tequila blanco or white rum. Either way, a very tasty supplement even if it lacks the punch to stand on its own.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Kentucky Owl or Sorel over a cold can of Hamm’s?
If money’s no object, sure. This is great bourbon!
But it is, so Kentucky Owl is gonna be a special occasion drink that probably falls well down the pecking order of cheaper, higher quality Scotches. Sorel is more interesting as a complimentary piece of a larger cocktail. I’m looking forward to experimenting with that.
