Before Prohibition, the area around Owensboro, Kentucky was home to more than 20 large distilleries, and the largest of them was Daviess County Distilling Company, with heritage dating to 1874 — the first to bottle Daviess County Bourbon and a pioneer that paved the way for a dozen more distilleries in the county. The label drifted through owners across the 20th century, spending time with the Charles Medley Distillery before Luxco acquired it and Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown revived it in early 2020 under head distiller John Rempe. The concept is genuinely unusual for Kentucky: rather than committing to one recipe, Daviess County blends two distinct bourbons — one made from a traditional rye mash bill, one from a wheated mash bill — into a single whiskey, aiming for the spice of the former balanced by the softness of the latter. The base is aged at least four years and every expression bottles at 96 proof. The flagship Kentucky Straight Bourbon is that blend on its own, delivering caramel, honey, vanilla, and green apple with a bright rush of rye spice up front. Two finished versions rest an additional six months: the Cabernet Sauvignon Finish in barrels from Napa Valley, adding milk chocolate, coconut, and a honeyed sweetness on the nose, and the French Oak Finish, layering in chocolate and spicy oak. Reviewers find the range approachable and easy-drinking — a pleasant, well-priced entry into blended-mash-bill bourbon.

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