Pharmacist Charles Mortimer founded a distillery in 1879 on the banks of the Kentucky River to make The Wiseman's Bourbon whiskey. In 1919, Charles renamed the product into Kentucky Owl. This is where the family business story begins. However, due to the restrictions applied in the USA, in 1920 The factory ceased operations and the whiskey portion was transferred to the Frankfurt State Warehouse. A few months later, under suspicious circumstances, the room where the drink was stored burned down. After the incident, Charles Dedman decided not to make whiskey anymore. Only many years later, one of his successors, Dixon Dedman, resumed production in 2004. The first batch of Kentucky Owl (1,250 bottles) appeared in stores in 2014. In its first year, Kentucky Owl Straight Bourbon Whiskey won the Garden & Gun’s 2014 Made in the South Award for best drink. In recent years, the company presents one of the best whiskeys in the world.