So, it comes in the same bottle as Old Forester’s Whiskey Row series... must be good. This appeared locally and sold out instantly at $200 a bottle. It is labeled as a small batch KY bourbon (distilled and aged in KY). At around 1300 bottles I would guess this amounted to around 8-10 x 15 year old barrels depending on volume loss. The mash bill is the mysterious 78.5% corn, 13% rye and 8.5% malted barley that has shown up in numerous other $100+ NDP bottles as of late with age statements around 13-15 years. There is story to be told regarding the chosen KY senators that will adorn each batch. This, batch #1, is named for Alben W. Barkley (who also served as VP under Harry S. Truman). Of note he was a prohibitionist and anti-gambler. I can’t once again help but see the irony in the use of the Brown Forman Old Forester bottle... Enough with the bottle already. I’ve been fooled before. Especially by overpriced NDP offerings. Number one offender was Sam Houston KY-3 (over-oaked Barton bananas at a low proof, the latter of which showed all of its flaws). There are others but in the interest of time the question today is - considering VFM would I buy this again over OF 1920? At first crack there are striking similarities. A cannon of cherries and oak blast the nose. There is underlying butterscotch, peanut brittle, allspice and floral notes. This hits the palate above the labeled 107 proof with a viscous feel, a dance of honey and apples that weren’t on the nose as much and then a tannic leather turn to show its age. Back on the nose I can appreciate the leather. Subsequent sips bring around more cherries, bright citrus (orange and lemon zest), tobacco, brown sugar, and a dance between acidic and tannic. Odd, but the lengthy finish is full of citrus fruit and wood while vanilla notes take a back seat. Ok, so this is not over-oaked, proofed down 1920. It could be Brown Forman, Beam or Barton but is akin to the first more than the others for me. The long finish though... so much citrus, wood, leather and a hint of banana? What is King of Kentucky like? Based on descriptions I imagine fans of that offering would be pleased with this one. Would I buy this over 4 bottles of 1920? That would be a very, very hard sell to do it again. That said, I enjoy this quite a bit. I’m afraid it won’t be for everyone and wonder what others who scooped it up so quickly we’re expecting. 1920 would be more of a crowd pleaser while the tannic elements here might be off putting for some. Also drinks above its proof - although I’m once again in favor of this. I (likely) won’t go for another backup bottle but don’t have much on my shelf that rivals it. If you have $200 lying around and have tried everything else then I say go for it. If you’re still exploring the $40-60 range and prefer Buffalo Trace or Basil Hayden then consider passing.