Kentucky Owl Takumi Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Kentucky Owl Takumi
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Kentucky Owl released their St. Patrick’s Edition earlier this year, I rolled my eyes so hard the thud on the floor was audible in Louisville, Cincinnati and Bowling Green. Kentucky Bourbon for an Irish holiday stretches things a bit far for even a casual drinker, I should think. For those of us who have spent years beating the drum of the Irish single malt whiskey revival and celebrated their explosion of distillery construction … well, at the time, I felt it best to stay quiet.

But here I am writing about the next Kentucky Owl release, and I bring it up because I am relieved to say it is not nearly as odious a concept. Kentucky Owl Master Blender John Rhea and Nagahama Distillery Master Blender Yusuke Yahisa. My initial reaction to Takumi, before reading anything about it, was that it must have been finished in Mizunara casks. Alas, that is not the case. Instead, it’s a collaborative effort. Rhea sent Yahisa samples of bourbon (4 to 6 and 13 years old; no wheated bourbon) to work with, and Yahisa fashioned these into a blending recipe at 100 proof.

So, rather than fall into the tiny class of American whiskeys finished in Mizunara wood, it instead falls into the also tiny class of American whiskeys fashioned by master blenders from other countries. It’s still a worthy idea, all the more so against the backdrop of a bourbon elbowing into St. Patrick’s Day.

The Bourbon

This middle amber pour has a crisp nose, one that raises up the caramel with notes of sandalwood. The palate flows out of that to become fruity and spicy in fairly equal measures, but spicy in a decidedly herbaceous, minty way. The finish goes down peppery and a bit hot.

The Price
Kentucky Owl Takumi Bourbon is priced at $150 per bottle.