Master blender Dixon Dedman—who revived his family’s whiskey label, Kentucky Owl, back in 2014 and headed it up until his departure in 2021—has vacationed on Kiawah Island, a barrier island that’s just 25 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina, since he was a child. These days, he takes his kids there as well, and it remains one of the few places he can reliably relax and get off the grid. Now, he’s commemorating that special place with a whiskey: 2XO The Kiawah Blend, a finished bourbon that’s part of the brand’s limited edition Icon Series.
The Kiawah Blend uses two mashbills: one is a high-rye bourbon, with 35% rye, while the other uses just 18% rye. After aging for an undisclosed amount of time, the high-rye bourbon is then moved into a secondary set of new charred oak barrels with No.-3 and No.-4 char levels for up to a year, and makes up 60% of the final blend. (The other mashbill does not undergo secondary maturation in new oak.) Bottled at 52% ABV, The Kiawah Blend is available nationwide for $100.
Every 2XO release sees some sort of secondary oak, as the name itself literally means “twice the oak.” The brand is comprised of three tiers: at the entry level is the Oak Series, which is widely available and whose profile stays the same year-over-year; then comes the Icon Series, whose releases highlight people and places special to Dedman; and finally, at the top of 2XO is Gem of Kentucky, a luxury whiskey that’s blended from the best barrels Dedman has on hand.
