Undisclosed
2XO
52%
NAS
Released in September 2023, this bourbon comes to us from 2XO, the young brand founded by Dixon Dedman, the whiskey blender who revived the Kentucky Owl brand, which was originally founded by Dedman's great-great-grandfather in 1879. Dixon Dedman sold Kentucky Owl to Stoli in 2017 and founded 2XO in 2022. The name 2XO stands for "two times the oak" because each 2XO whiskey is double-oaked. The Tribute Blend is the third entry in 2XO's Icon Series and is an homage to Dixon's parents and "the support and love they’ve shown [him] throughout [his] career." The blend is a mix of two Kentucky bourbons, one distilled from a mashbill containing 35% rye and the other containing between 16% and 18% rye.
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Heavy on the nose and packed with baking spice, there’s a good deal of caramel candies, salted caramel and a hint of char.
The palate is easily The Tribute Blend’s best feature, lacing together heavy oak, cracked pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, cinnamon and clove with maple and demerara sugar, barrel char and a faint hint of ash. Really decadent and rich, this is a touch proofy but pleasant.
Long finish, heavy again on the combination of savory sweetness in the Demerara and the inclusion of more spice, char and a wisp of singed oak.
I’m always a little doubtful of these 2XO releases because I never know if they’ll lean too oaky, or far too heavily on the additional barrel time to round out the whiskey. Fears are easily rested as this is a great pour for fans of oak and spice.
88
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
