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Bourbon Review: King of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Batch 3)

We review King of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Batch 3), the latest in a series of extremely limited bourbon whiskeys from Brown-Forman.

OVERALL RATING

9
$250.00
  • Carin Moonin is a Portland-based whiskey enthusiast and writer.
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King of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Batch 3)

Tasting Notes

About:

Batch 3; 14 years old, 130.6 proof; non-chill filtered; single barrel; distilled and bottled by Brown-Foreman, Louisville, KY; mash bill of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley; suggested retail price of $250 a bottle.
Appearance:
In fairness, I tried this during a hazy, smoky evening: smoke more coloring the sky than scenting the air. Everything was more orange than normal. Still, I would call this more brown than orange. Russet. Redwood bark.
Nose:
Brown sugar bubbling in a pan with a stick of melted, good-quality butter. Perfectly toasted toast. A wood quality, too, like a mix of fresh honey crisp apples and a whiff of a freshly sharpened Ticonderoga #2 pencil.
Palate:
This…is lovely. It is extremely rich. Not going to lie, there’s heft of high-proof, but it’s not red-hot or even full of red-hot candy taste the way some of them are. It announces its arrival and it’s high-octane, but you won’t care because the taste is delicious. There’s that apple again, but on the palate it is richer, like apples in a pie with a cheddar cheese crust. There’s a chocolate tinge to it, too. Redolent of Amarena cherries and the syrup they come in, on the finish. Your lips will tingle, but when you drink it, it has that thick quality. It drapes your tongue in richness and it is unashamed.
Finish:
Comments:
Brown-Forman is not playin’ with this bourbon. Is it worth $250 a bottle? I’m not sure. It depends if it’s worth it to you. If you enjoy collectible, difficult-to-locate whiskies, perhaps. You literally won’t find another like it.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Carin Moonin

Carin Moonin swapped a 5th-floor walkup in Hoboken, NJ, for a house in SE Portland a decade ago and hasn't looked back. She appreciates Portland's vibrant whiskey scene, finding it complements both the weather and her mood. Carin enjoys exploring the diverse world of brown liquor and its many facets. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Salon.com, DailyDot.com, Willamette Week, Portland Monthly, and others. When she's not indulging in whiskey or writing about it, you can find Carin running, reading, or on the hunt for free samples in grocery stores.

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