Taste Test: Brown-Forman Flexes Muscles With Debut King of Kentucky Small Batch Release

For years, Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky has been a single-barrel showcase — rare, allocated and obsessively hunted. In February, the line expanded for the first time.The company introduced the first King of Kentucky Small Batch collection in the brand’s modern history, kicking off with a three-batch release to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and the founding of Kentucky County, Virginia. Instead of releasing one barrel at a time, Brown-Forman blended “rare, aged barrels” held back for years into three distinct releases bottled at 105, 107.5 and 110 proof.

We reviewed batch 1, the 105-proof expression. You can check out the full review here.

From Cult Single Barrel to Small Batch

Since its 2018 revival, King of Kentucky’s annual single-barrel releases have ranked among the most acclaimed American whiskeys. The 2025 edition placed No. 15 on our “100 Best Whiskeys of 2025” list and No. 10 on our “50 Best Bourbons of 2025.”

The new Small Batch Collection represents a structural shift, though the fall single-barrel program will continue. Each batch blends barrels aged between 12 and 18 years. Some of those barrels reportedly experienced unusually high evaporation — with as little as 16% of the original liquid remaining.

All three batches were blended at the Brown-Forman Distillery (Early Times Distillery) in Shively, Kentucky. Each 700-milliliter bottle carries a suggested retail price of $299, with limited nationwide availability.

Batch 1 Review: Rich, Dessert-Driven, Decadent

At 105 proof, Batch 1 is the lowest-ABV of the trio. It leans into the classic Brown-Forman profile — lush, sweet and texturally rich.

Nose: A delicious, perfumed opening: vanilla custard, blueberry, chocolate-covered cherry and lavender. There’s cream cheese frosting, salted caramel, sweet cream and chocolate ganache, with a faint note of melon. It reads as dessert-forward without feeling cloying.

Palate: The viscosity stands out immediately — the mouthfeel is luscious and impressive for a 105-proof whiskey. Dark chocolate and espresso take the lead, followed by cherry, coconut, ash, oak and noticeable tannin. It’s structured but indulgent — more velvet curtain than fireworks show.

Finish: Medium to long and firmly oaky. Brown sugar and baking spice — cinnamon and nutmeg — give way to leather and tannin before shifting toward candied orange, ginger and vanilla.

The Verdict

This is an incredible bourbon. It may not be the most intricate King of Kentucky ever bottled, but it doesn’t need to be. Batch 1 is about opulence — thick texture, layered dessert notes and the polished oak signature that defines mature Brown-Forman whiskey.

At $299, it sits squarely in luxury territory. But for collectors and longtime King of Kentucky devotees, the move from single barrel to small batch offers something new: a composed, curated expression of barrels that might otherwise have remained hidden.

To see what score the bourbon earned, read our complete review of King of Kentucky Small Batch Batch 1 here.