King of Kentucky Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

King of Kentucky
(Credit: Brown-Forman)

American bottle hunters should keep their eyes open this month, because Brown-Forman will be distributing a new bourbon. This one is simultaneously the first installment of a new annual series; a revival of an old brand name; and their most expensive (in terms of recommended retail price) bourbon release to date. It’s called, appropriately enough given that last point, King of Kentucky.

The original King of Kentucky was introduced in 1881. Brown-Forman picked the brand up in 1936, following Prohibition. At that time, shuttered distilleries and the brands they once produced were being traded about like so many baseball cards. They took King of Kentucky and brought it back as a blended whiskey, which it remained until it was discontinued in 1968,

That doesn’t sound very regal, but the new King of Kentucky iteration has a better pedigree. It’s a single barrel, cask strength bourbon, made at the Brown-Forman distillery in Louisville from their 75% corn, 11% rye, 10% malted barley mashbill. This year’s batch is a 14 year old coming from 16 barrels, yielding about 960 bottles.

The Bourbon
King of Kentucky has a mid-amber coloring in the glass, not as dark as I might expect from a fairly old, cask strength bourbon. I’m not actually sure how strong my particular sample was; the 2018 batch ranges from 125 to 135 proof, and mine bore no indication of what barrel it was from or what the ABV was. Anyway, it wasn’t as dark as I would expect from a 62.5%+ ABV, 14 year old whiskey. The liquid was, however, quite thick. It stuck to the glass, forming a crown of beads that dropped small tears reluctantly, and these were quite slow.

I found the nose had a demerara sugar sweetness, seasoned with cookie spices, shredded coconut, a few drops of vanilla extract and some musty oak. It would be a bit like a trip to the bakery when cookies were in the oven, except for that woody current. The scent was striking in how not-hot it was, once again a surprise for a high octane bourbon.

The palate, however, was hot, so in went a splash of water. One splash was enough to dial the whiskey down to a tasteful level. I found the wood-influences predominated, with wood spices, oakiness, a touch of pepper and astringency standing center stage. Full on brown sugar, vanilla and that coconut note stood around and on the sides. The finish went down with a touch of vanilla and a light, persistent woodiness.

If you’re asking whether you should pick up a bottle of King of Kentucky (see the price below), my answer is yes under two conditions: 1) you like your bourbon woody; 2) you can snag it for something like the recommended retail price.

The Price
King of Kentucky is supposed to go for $199. Of course, there are unscrupulous retailers that will mark this up substantially, sight unseen, hoping someone will pay it.