Review: 2XO The Hip-Hop Blend Bourbon

 

Dixon Dedman has become one of the most recognizable names in American whiskey, first gaining a following through his early releases of Kentucky Owl. After a seven-year run with the brand, Dedman departed in 2021. In November 2022, he launched 2XO, short for Two Times Oak, with The Phoenix Blend serving as the debut release.

In 2026, Dedman unveiled the seventh installment in the 2XO Collectible Series, The Hip-Hop Blend. As the name suggests, the bourbon pays tribute to “Rapper’s Delight,” the 1979 single by the Sugarhill Gang. Released by Sugar Hill Records, the song became the first rap single to reach the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and helped establish rap as a force in mainstream music. The Hip-Hop Blend takes its inspiration from that milestone, bringing bourbon and hip-hop together in a rather literal fashion.

For anyone who has spent time with “Rapper’s Delight,” the connection is hard to miss. The song opens with “I said a hip hop,” and Dedman’s latest release takes that phrase as a cue for a bourbon built around multiple components, multiple barrel treatments and two bourbon mashbills.

The Hip-Hop Blend is made from two different bourbon mashbills, although the finished blend actually consists of four separate components. Roughly 10% is a low-rye bourbon made from a mashbill of 74% corn, 18% rye and 8% malted barley. It was distilled by an undisclosed heritage distillery in Kentucky that has been making whiskey for Dedman since 2017.

Barton 1792 is known for using a 74% corn, 18% rye and 8% malted barley mashbill, but Dedman did not confirm whether Barton 1792 distilled this portion of The Hip-Hop Blend.

The remaining 90% comes from a high-rye bourbon made from 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley. This whiskey has been distilled for Dedman by a heritage distillery in Kentucky since 2015. Dedman was clear on one point: Four Roses did not distill this component.

That 90% portion consists of three separate lots, each representing 30% of the finished blend. The lots are similar in age, though not identical, and all underwent secondary maturation in new charred oak barrels. The high-rye bourbon came off the still at 120 proof before entering its initial barrels at 118 proof.

Maturation took place either on the lower levels of Dedman’s contracted aging facilities or in a palletized storage facility. As a result, the bourbon’s proof declined during maturation.

Looking at the finished blend, the 10% low-rye component is aged between 6.5 and 7 years. Lot A accounts for 30% of the blend and is 8 years old. It underwent secondary maturation in a new charred barrel from Independent Stave Co. with a #4 char. Lot B also accounts for 30% of the blend and is 7 years old, with secondary maturation in a new charred Independent Stave Co. barrel with a #3 char. Lot C makes up the final 30% and is also 7 years old, spending secondary maturation in a new charred Independent Stave Co. barrel with a #4 char.

Every bourbon used for secondary maturation was at least 6 years old before entering the new barrels, and each spent at least one calendar year in the new charred oak barrels supplied by Independent Stave Company.

All blending took place after secondary maturation. The resulting bourbon came together at a natural harvest proof of 111.

There is a certain poetry to the concept. “Rapper’s Delight” took several different musical elements and turned them into something that helped define an entirely new era of popular music. The Hip-Hop Blend takes several bourbon lots, two mashbills and two stages of barrel maturation and brings them together under the 2XO name.

But the real question remains: Is Dixon Dedman’s newest blend an appropriate tribute to “Rapper’s Delight,” and will it prove to be an equal delight for bourbon lovers? Should bourbon drinkers jump on it?

2Xo The Hip-Hop Blend Kentucky Bourbon Review

The nose opens with dried orange peel and dark brown sugar before giving way to heavily toasted coconut, though the coconut eventually comes across as more charred than toasted. Cinnamon arrives later, soft and powdery, much like the cinnamon dusting on Hostess Donettes, followed by toasted pecans. The nose is certainly a delight.

The palate leads with dense chocolate fudge and buttery toffee. Beeswax and homemade cinnamon toast arrive through the mid-palate. This is not the artificial Cinnamon Toast Crunch note that often appears in bourbon that has spent time in amburana wood. Instead, the cinnamon toast comes across as natural and far less potent.

The mouthfeel is quite oily, while the spice picks up on the finish. It begins with chai spice before transitioning to flaky vanilla wafers and toasted coconut.

From the first sip to the last, it is clear that Dixon Dedman has not lost his touch. The Hip-Hop Blend delivers at every point, making good on the promise of its name and serving as a fitting bourbon tribute to “Rapper’s Delight.” This one gets the job done, and for bourbon lovers given the opportunity, jumping on it makes sense.

104 proof.

A / $90

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