Is the King of Kentucky Bourbon Worthy of a King’s Ransom?

King of Kentucky bourbon, single barrel

Brand: King of Kentucky

Release Date: September 2021

Proof: 125-135

Age: 14

MSRP: $249.99

Available: Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois

The newly resurrected King of Kentucky brand was first released in the summer of 2018 to mild fanfare. Many bourbon aficionados were thrilled that Brown Forman (https://www.brown-forman.com) was bringing back a label that dates back to 1881 and had long been retired (since 1968), but there wasn’t much clamoring or hunting going on for the $200 bottles — although, don’t get me wrong, they all eventually sold out at stores around Kentucky.

King of Kentucky

A Royal Frenzy

Brown Forman positioned the King of Kentucky as a premium product, pulled from older stock the Louisville-based spirits company had in their warehouses. And since Brown Forman heat-cycles their rick houses, evaporation takes its toll on many of these 14-year-old barrels. The first year of its release, there were only 960 bottles available. Lucky for us this year, there are about 2,700. It was sometime between the second and third release when collectors started to get thirsty and realize just how prized and tasty the King of Kentucky was. Soon, the $250 bottle was fetching upwards of $1,500 on secondary sites and getting snatched up from shelves just as quick as Pappy.

In fact, right before the switch from “interesting” to “MUST HAVE,” I even passed up the opportunity to purchase one while shopping at a big-box liquor store. I believe it was 2019, and I just couldn’t justify raking over $250 at the time. The vision of the King being within arm’s reach still haunts me to this day.

Tasting Notes

So how’s it taste? Before we get to that, let’s look at it. The deep amber hue of the spirit guarantees its age, and as you swirl it around in the glass, you’ll notice this bourbon is quite viscous — almost similar to a bowl of honey or melted caramel. And that nose. Wow. Baked apple, dark caramel and raisin notes spring forth.

At first sip, the 130-proof, non-chill-filtered sample did not scorch my tastebuds like I had anticipated. Instead, it rewarded me with instant caramel and almost a Fig Newton-like smattering of dried fruit and fig and sugar cookie. The finish is also a delight with just a hint of the Brown Forman standard banana note and more sugar cookie and baking spices.

Because the King is so hard to find unless you want to shell out some serious dough, I don’t want to like this. But I can’t deny the unique flavors this imparts on my soul and the way it makes me feel all warm and tingly inside — similar to the rush I get from fallen leaves crunching under my shoe, fall’s first chill, and the promise of pumpkin pickin’ and campfire s’mores.

Is it Worth the Price?

Each bottle of the single-barrel King is hand-labeled and signed by Master Distiller Chris Morris. The black wax top and fancy white tube the bottle comes in makes it feel even more premium and looks quite sharp on your bar shelf. Now considered a “bourbon unicorn,” King of Kentucky reigns supreme for most collectors, but is it truly worth all the hype? Yes, I would say it is worth every penny of the MSRP, but for $1,500+? I would obviously say no.

In my opinion, the King of Kentucky does reign supreme. But the chances of this joker ever getting ahold of this bourbon royalty remain slim. A girl can dream.