King of Kentucky 18 Year Bourbon (2022 Release)

I've been on the hunt to try a King of Kentucky(KoK) for the last three years and always seem to either unfortunately arrive just in time for the last dram to have just been served or find that the establishment deems that a fair price for a pour is the equivalent of either a full bottle at MSRP or higher which falls outside of my threshold of an acceptable cost per pour around thirty percent or less than a full bottle at MSRP. Alas, my hunt continued for this elusive unicorn until one fateful day, my friends and I were conversing with a likeminded stranger at a bar about bourbon and he informed us of an establishment that had a King for a fair price that was under my pour rule. Elated, we made a hasty journey in pursuit of finally satisfying my unicorn quest and when we arrived we not only found they had a KoK, but a 14 year, 15 year and 18 year version. After a quick discussion, our group settled on purchasing a pour of all three, line them up and have a KoK fight to determine who the King of the KoKs shall earn the crown. Starting with the youngest of the three the 14 year has a nose that is moderately rich with a mild dusty oak that is underscoring sweets of sugar daddy candy and creamy citrus that everything seems in balance with the ABV surprisingly subdued for being above 60%. The palate follows suit as the nose with everything balanced along with a mild spice before a medium-long sweet and slightly spicy finish. 4.25 Next up was the 15 year, with a velvety rich and bold nose that makes the 14 year seem rather tame in comparison. The oak is bigger on the 15 with dusty oak no longer in the background, but front and center that works harmoniously with those creamy sugar daddy candies and dark fruits with the ethanol still very much in check. The palate follows the same as the nose with a masterfully composed balance along with a rich oily mouthfeel that coats and finishes long with sweet tobacco, creamy citrus and old dusty oak that lingers for minutes. 4.5 The last of the bunch was the 18 year that we’d all hoped would turn out to be the best of the bunch. Unfortunately after the 15 year, the nose comes across rather tannic with the oak no longer in balance with the creamy candy sweets and dark fruits but rather the oak now taking centerstage that dominates and prevents those creamy sweets and fruits notes from really coming through that the ethanol is still surprisingly in check for the 67% ABV. The palate doesn't improve upon the nose and actually seems to bring a higher bitter over-brewed tea note that pervades the experience with those creamy sweets peeking through ever so slightly and finishes medium-long with bitter black tea and cracked leather with the sweet candies and fruits ever so slightly appearing. 3.25 After the KoK fight, the four of us unanimously chose the 15 year to crown as the true King status with the 14 year earning prince status and the 18 year earning a humble court jester status, but these were all single barrels, so depending on which barrel you get, you might find a different experience and status ranking than us. Unfortunately these have all long been scooped up from retailers for their MSRP and after conducting a quick internet search reveals that all of them now cost in the thousands and the 18 year nearing $10k on some sites. Those are silly astronomic prices that don't seem justified and I personally think that there are plenty of other whiskeys out there that can compete with these for much less. If you happen to stumble on a bar that has them for a fair price, I'd recommend trying the 14 or 15 year as they are really something special, just not thousand dollar bottle or a silly overpriced dram priced special.

Barrel 1 King of kentucky 15yr ramped up to 11 More balanced than barrel 3. One of the best mouthfeels ever. No flaws.

Heavy oak influence. Balance and hot. So much oak: /7 yield