Butterscotch | Raspberry | Caramel corn | Cashew | Melted butter | Sandalwood

Cornbread | Raspberry | Fig | Vanilla | Pomegranate molasses

Cherry | Dry leather | Nutmeg | Spicy cinnamon | Light dry oak | Touch of clove

Onyx & Amber launched in April 2025 in Denver, Colorado, by Benjamin Rosen, growing out of his decade-plus involvement with the Colorado Bourbon & Rye Collectors group, which conducted more than 150 single barrel selections and raised over $500,000 for charity. The company works out of the former Rising Sun Distillery and focuses on sourcing whiskey and aging/finishing it almost entirely in Colorado. Though people may be quick to cite the area's high altitude as their differentiating factor, the company instead emphasizes the effects of Colorado's dry climate and dramatic barometric-pressure swings, which they say drive greater interaction between the whiskey and oak and produce a “richer, more viscous, more concentrated product than the same distillate aged anywhere else.”

The company’s Guest Blender Series invites well-known tastemakers in the industry to construct their own blend. Owl of Oz was blended by Ryan Negley, who also guest blended a previous release for the company.  He is a former employee of Boulder Spirits, Deerhammer Distilling, and Peach Street Distillers. He is also the co-founder of the Denver Whiskey Club.

Owl of Oz is a blend of barrels, with 7.5 year old bourbon sourced from O.Z. Tyler, which is now known as Green River Distilling Co., and a range of barrels aged 8-12 years from Ross & Squibb Distillery (MGP). Interestingly enough, the company has labeled this as a “Straight Bourbon”; however, due to the fact that two different straight bourbons from two different distilleries were used, it should be labeled a “Blend of Straight Bourbons.”

The bourbon’s aroma is a nice mix of scents that start gentle and quickly increase in intensity the more you take in. The rest of the sip is an inverse of that. The palate starts big, with a strong momentum of cornbread, raspberry, fig, vanilla, and pomegranate molasses. From there, the finish begins to taper, losing a degree of intensity, which allows more flavor to ultimately come out. Here, cherry, dry leather, and nutmeg do most of the heavy lifting. Spicy cinnamon takes over from here, followed by light dry oak and clove.

Owl of Oz flavors aren’t necessarily traditional in nature, but the bourbon definitely drinks like it has a nostalgic flair for the traditional. It’s largely straightforward, with a few peaks and valleys, and is a thoroughly solid sipper. It’s not overly sweet and leans dry more often than not. It balances fruit with baking spices and leather nicely. It also features a hefty body that isn’t common to Green River and MGP bourbon. This could be the result of the company aging the bourbon in Denver, as it seems to have had a noticeable effect on the resulting whiskey. The bourbon ends up being more than the sum of its parts, as it tends to reveal its subtleties the more time you spend with it, which is imperative for any blended whiskey.