Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon Is Back — Here’s Everything You Need to Know

On Thursday, Brown-Forman announced the return of its crown jewel bourbon, King of Kentucky Single Barrel. 2026’s King of Kentucky release is a 14-year-old single barrel bourbon, with 99 barrels selected for the release.

The Brown-Forman whiskey will be available in select markets nationwide for a suggested retail price of $399.99. The barrels range from 62.2% to 67.5% ABV.

The 99 barrels come from two 14-year-old lots. Fifty-one barrels matured on the third floor of Warehouse I at the Brown-Forman Distillery, while 48 matured on the first floor of Warehouse L.

“This year’s King of Kentucky is a remarkable expression of what time, careful maturation and thoughtful barrel selection can create,” Old Forester Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo said in a news release. “Each of these 99 barrels was selected for its exceptional character, and after 14 years of aging, they deliver the bold, complex profile that defines King of Kentucky.”

The release is three years younger than 2025’s King of Kentucky but also a significantly larger release, with a 99-barrel yield up from last year’s 63.

Official tasting notes from Brown-Forman say the bourbon has a fruit-forward aroma with orange zest, caramel, dark chocolate and toasted marshmallow, along with nutty oak. The palate is said to feature dark maple syrup, orange zest, vanilla wafers and baked banana, with the finish bringing lingering caramel and chocolate notes.

Each bottle is filled, bottled, wax-dipped and numbered by hand. The bottles come in custom canisters and include information about the individual whiskey, including its proof, age, warehouse location, lot number, serial number and barrel number.

King of Kentucky dates to 1881, when it was established as a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Brown-Forman acquired the brand in 1936 and discontinued it in 1968.

The company revived King of Kentucky in 2018, bringing the historic label back as a high-proof, limited-release bourbon. The 2026 expression continues that format with single-barrel whiskey aged for 14 years.

2026 has been a landmark year for the King of Kentucky brand. In February, Brown-Forman expanded the lineup beyond Single Barrel with the Small Batch collection, a three-batch series marking the 250th anniversary of the United States and the founding of Kentucky County, Virginia, which later became the state of Kentucky. Each batch blends bourbon aged between 12 and 18 years and is bottled at a different proof: 105, 107.5 and 110 proof.

We reviewed one of the three Small Batch releases following that release; find our tasting notes, score and full thoughts here.