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Kiawah Island sits about 25 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina. Dedman's family has gone there since he was a kid, and now he takes his own kids. "It's my happy place," he said when the bourbon came out in April 2024.
2XO stands for Two Times Oak. Dedman takes his high-rye bourbon (35% rye) and puts it into a second barrel of new charred oak for nine to 12 months, at two char levels, #3 and #4. The char number tells you how long the inside of the barrel was burned, and a deeper char gives the whiskey more caramelized wood sugar to pull from. That double-barreled bourbon makes up 60% of the blend.
It was the fourth release in Dedman's Icon Series, the name printed on the bottle. 2XO now calls the line the Collectibles Series and lists Kiawah with its previous releases. Whisky Advocate gave it 93 points and put it at No. 14 on its Top 20 of 2024.
It's 104 proof, so a few drops of water are worth a try. With 2XO's notes running to baking spice and cedar, it also makes a good Old Fashioned.
Is Kiawah the same as the Sneakerhead or Vinyl Blend?
No, though they're close relatives. All three are Dedman blends built from the same two mash bills. Kiawah and Sneakerhead share a build (60% double-barreled high-rye, char #3 and #4) but are separate batches with their own notes. Vinyl uses 40%, all at char #4.
What does "Kentucky straight bourbon" mean?
Bourbon made in Kentucky and aged at least two years in new charred oak, with nothing added but water. A straight bourbon under four years old has to state its age, and this label doesn't, so it's at least four.
Why a palm tree on a Kentucky bourbon?
2XO doesn't say. It looks like a palmetto, South Carolina's state tree, and Kiawah is a South Carolina island.
Good in an Old Fashioned.
