Charles Dedman started the original Kentucky Owl Bourbon Distillery in 1879 on the banks of the Kentucky River, which was one of Kentucky's original distilleries. For decades, Charles produced The Wiseman's Bourbon until prohibition forced him to cease production. All remaining stocks were put on barges to Frankfort and housed in government warehouses. The government guaranteed safe storage, but when the warehouse mysteriously burned down, the government failed to pay compensation, rendering the entire stock, close to 250,000 gallons, of Kentucky Owl bourbon a total loss. Some say that before the fire started, the whiskey had already been appropriated by illicit traders, such as Al Capone for his Chicago speakeasies. Due to this significant loss, Charles Dedman never distilled another drop. Nearly 100 years after Kentucky Owl was shuttered, Dixon Dedman, the great-great grandson of C.M. Dedman, relaunched Kentucky Owl with Bourbon Batch #1 in 2014.
