Brown Forman’s King of Kentucky Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon 128.8 Proof 2023 Release

King of Kentucky is an annual/on-going periodic release of a single barrel inventory featuring a barrel-strength, minimally-filtered proof presentation, with each release and every barrel being unique.  For this year’s iteration, Master Distiller Chris Morris chose 33 barrels to set aside for the limited-release product.

King of Kentucky has a long history as a brand, but of course things have changed over the years as they almost always do when it comes to American whiskey. According to Brown-Forman, the King of Kentucky label dates back to 1881 and it was created as a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, which it is today. At some point the brand was owned by a company called Select Kentucky Distillers, and Brown-Forman acquired it in 1936. It was changed to a blended whiskey in 1940 and then discontinued in 1968, around the time bourbon began to fall out of favor and vodka exploded in popularity. But Brown-Forman brought it back in 2018, making this the sixth modern King of Kentucky release.

The 2023 expression is a 16-year-old single-barrel bourbon bottled at barrel-proof (125.8) with minimal filtration before bottling. “This year’s release of 51 barrels came from one production date—July 19, 2007,” said Brown-Forman master distiller Chris Morris in a statement. “All the barrels were aged in Warehouse G at the Brown-Forman Distillery. This showcases what a difference each individual barrel has at this extreme age on the color, flavor, and aroma of this wonderful whiskey.” We got to sample the whiskey, and it is indeed full of flavor and not overly aggressive at this proof. Look for notes of oak, dark chocolate, dusty leather, burnt brown sugar, orchard fruit, cherry, and black pepper on the palate, with a bit of mint and spicy heat on the finish. And remember, taste will vary depending upon which barrel you get to try.

King of Kentucky is distilled and aged at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, as mentioned in Morris’s comments. That’s also where Old Forester and the majority of Woodford Reserve is produced (some of the latter whiskey is also made at the distillery in Versailles, KY). According to the brand, there is no set annual volume of King of Kentucky because of how the barrels are selected, but this year’s release consists of around 3,800 bottles