In 2014 Dixon Dedman and some pals relaunched Kentucky Owl Straight Bourbon Whiskey brand. The bourbon company was started back in 1879 by C.M. Dedman but like most whiskey brands of its time went dark in 1916 around the time of Prohibition. The brand stayed dormant until 5th Generation Master Blender Dixon Dedman restarted with brand in 2014.
Dedman didn’t build a distillery rather he worked with some existing distilleries to gather various barrels and blended them to his liking. The finished bottles were selling for $100 to $250 if you could even find them. The supplies always ran out before the demand.
In January 2017 Dedman sold the family brand to Stoli Group. Now that Stoli finally had an American Bourbon Whiskey brand in its lineup it was time to build a distillery. Later that year in November they announced plans to build a futuristic Disney World like distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. And then a year later in November of 2018 they broke ground on the new distillery to much fanfare. Other than the fact that we know Kentucky Owl Bourbon is being made at Bardstown Bourbon Company any activity at the futuristic distillery site has been pretty quite.
01/2017: Stoli Group Gets its Talons into the US Whiskey Market with Acquisition of Kentucky Owl Bourbon
11/2017: It’s Official: Stoli Breaks Ground on $150 Million Disney-like Distillery for Kentucky Owl Bourbon
11/2018: Kentucky Owl Bourbon and Stoli Unveil 21st Century Design & 3D Rendering of its New Pyramid Shaped Distillery
Now word comes that the face of Kentucky Owl Bourbon, Dixon Dedman has left the brand and headed over to Brindiamo Group to be a consulting resource to benefit Brindiamo’s clients. Ironically, Dedman is featured on the Brindiamo Groups website as one of the clients they helped as a consulting client.
Brindiamo Group offers counsel on mergers, acquisitions and strategic thought to the wine and spirits industry. Other testimonials on their website include Co-Founder of Angel’s Envy Wes and President and CEO of Bardstown Bourbon Company Mark Erwin.
Brindiamo Group hired Dixon Dedman to be a consulting resource to benefit Brindiamo’s clients.
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In a statement they said Mr. Dedman is a legend in the whiskey world as a Master Blender and the creator of the Kentucky Owl brand. Dedman and his business partner sold the brand to SPI Group, the Luxembourg-based company best known for making Stolichnaya vodka, for an undisclosed sum.
“After observing the continuing evolution of the whiskey sector, we decided that now was the right time to bring him onboard, in order to respond better to the industry needs” said Jeff Hopmayer, Managing Partner of Brindiamo. “Dedman is Kentucky royalty. His great-great-grandfather Charles Dedman founded one of the state’s largest distilleries in the late 19th century, and his family has owned the award-winning, 31-room Beaumont Inn in Harrodsburg, KY., for over a century.”
After four years of leading the brand, Dedman recently resigned his role as Master Blender and Brand Ambassador. Jason McMurray a Partner in Brindiamo also commented, “Dixon is what Bourbon is about and we are excited to have him as a resource.”
“Having cultivated a relationship with Jeff, Jason and the Brindiamo team over the last several years, I was thrilled with the opportunity to work with them,” said Dedman. “They have a unique skill set that allows me to help people in this industry using my experience and abilities. I’m thrilled with the opportunity to consult with one of the driving forces behind the growth in American Whiskey that is the Brindiamo Group.”
Brindiamo Group is a leading bulk spirits supplier, with a focus on bourbon and whiskies while providing additional advisory services focused on the alcohol beverage industry.
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