Brown-Forman’s Regal Release Returns: The 6th Edition of Rare, Coveted King of Kentucky Bourbon Is Older Than Ever
Brown-Forman announced on Monday that King of Kentucky, a rare annual bourbon release, has returned for its sixth annual release and is set to hit shelves mid-October.
The 2023 expression is a 16-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, and just 3,800 bottles are available for purchase with a suggested retail price of $300.
“We are excited to celebrate the sixth year of the King of Kentucky brand with an extremely robust selection of 16-year-old barrels,” Brown-Forman Master Distiller Chris Morris said in a news release. “This brand demonstrates Brown-Forman’s commitment to and expertise in the growing American Whiskey category.”
King of Kentucky hosts a rich history that dates back to 1881. The brand was acquired in 1936 by Brown-Forman, the owner of Jack Daniel’s, Old Forester and Woodford Reserve. In 194o, Brown-Forman converted King of Kentucky to a blended whiskey before it was discontinued in 1968. In 2018, Brown-Forman resurrected King of Kentucky in honor of the brand’s rich legacy.
Each year, Brown-Forman releases a single-barrel King of Kentucky offering at barrel strength.
Morris chose one lot of barrels from 2007 for this year’s release, which clocks in at 125.8 proof.
“This year’s release of 51 barrels came from one production date, July 19, 2007. All the barrels were aged in Warehouse G at the Brown-Forman Distillery,” Morris said. “This showcases what a difference each individual barrel has at this extreme age on the color, flavor and aroma of this wonderful whiskey.”
The brand describes the expression as possessing aromas of “dark graham cracker, vanilla and charred oak notes, sweetened with hints of port, cognac and milk chocolate coated coconut.” On the palate, Brown-Forman says to expect “dark chocolate mocha with traces of black tea and leathery tannins.”
Last year’s King of Kentucky release was unusual in that, for the first time, it was composed of two bourbons rather than one. In 2022, the brand released whiskeys made on two production days two years apart. Both clocked in around a hefty 130 proof.
We tasted this extremely rare, 16-year-old bourbon ahead of its release. Keep your eyes peeled for our official review, and in the meantime, you can watch our first-reaction video here:
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