I was lucky enough to sit down with Louise McGuane, half of the inspiration behind the new Kentucky Owl St. Paddy’s Day Edition, when she visited the store a few weeks back, so I think I’ll be able to give you all some intricate details about the make-up of the new expression that you won’t read elsewhere. For those of you who don’t know Louise, she’s an Irish whiskey bonder in Ireland, meaning she contracts whiskey from various distillers, but also sources her own barrels, then fills and ages them in her own warehouse to create her own unique expressions.

The project with Kentucky Owl came together when she was visiting Kentucky to obtain some ex-Bourbon barrels, and decided to work with the brand to create a marriage from the whiskies previously housed inside those casks. Using roughly a 40% base of 4.5 year old Bardstown Bourbon Company wheated Bourbon, the remainder of the blend consists of whiskies from Heaven Hill (the oldest component), Peerless, other Kentucky Owl stocks, and the standard Bardstown Bourbon Company rye Bourbon mashbill. Bottled at 100 proof, it’s an absolutely beautiful and balanced whiskey from front to back, loaded with plenty of mid-palate richness, rounded fruity notes, and plenty of spice. Definitely worth grabbing a bottle in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day this year if you prefer Bourbon over Irish whiskey.

-David Driscoll