Brown-Forman tells BourbonBlog.com that King of Kentucky Bourbon returns this year with the release of its fifth edition. This will be some of the oldest Bourbon they have ever released under this brand.
Hitting only a few lucky liquor store and bar shelves this month in August 202, the following two limited-edition expressions will be available…
15-Year at 130.6 Proof: 3,500 bottles, only in KENTUCKY, ILLINOIS and OHIO
The first 2022 expression is a 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, featuring a premium embossed label with a stamp border and details.
Suggested retail of $249.99. While the majority of this year’s volume will remain in Kentucky, the expression will also be available in limited quantities in Illinois and Ohio.
18-year old: 130.3 proof: 250 bottles, only in KENTUCKY
The second expression is a very limited 18-year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, featuring an embossed label with a gold-foiled stamp border and gold details.
Approximately 250 bottles will be produced with a suggested retail of $349.99. The 18-year-old expression will be exclusive to the Kentucky market.
King of Kentucky was established in 1881 as a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Brown-Forman acquired the brand in 1936 from Selected Kentucky Distillers and, by 1940, converted it to a blended whiskey until it was discontinued in 1968. In 2018, Brown-Forman revived the label paying homage to the brand’s past.
King of Kentucky is an annual release of a single barrel inventory featuring a barrel-strength, minimally-filtered proof presentation, with each release and every barrel being unique.
Previous releases included:
2018- 14-year-old
2019- 15-year-old
2020- 14-year-old
2021- 14-year-old
For this year’s iteration, Master Distiller Chris Morris chose two lots of barrels to set aside for the limited-release product– one from 2004, the second from 2006.
“This year’s releases come from two production days, two years apart,” Chris Morris tells BourbonBlog.com. “This showcases what a difference two years at these extreme ages make on the color, flavor, and aroma of this wonderful whiskey.”
Every bottle comes enclosed in a decorative tin canister and tells the story of its origin through the details on the front and back of its package.
All are filled, bottled, wax-dipped, and numbered by hand with details including proof, age, warehouse location, lot number, serial number, and barrel number, all selected by Master Distiller Chris Morris.
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