King of Kentucky 15 Year Bourbon (2019 Release)

I've been enjoying bourbon for longer than I've legally been able to drink. My first taste was in middle school, a Pappy 20 year. I've been a regular drinker for at least 14 years and I like to think I've experienced some excellent bourbons. Folks, there's a new champion! One look at the glass reveals you're about to have a high-proof, aged bourbon. It's dark with slow-moving, lingering legs. The aroma is that rich, wood-infused leather scent I rarely find in bourbons under 12 years, and typically not until 15 or even 20+ years old. You can smell the warehouse where this aged for 15 years as if you were touring the distillery. However, there's that delightful 'sweat' bourbon aroma that, when combined with the leathers and oaks, creates an almost red fruit note. Perhaps overripe apples or even a hint of pear. It has an almost candy-like quality, like a red apple drizzled in caramel. Then, vanilla drifts over everything, soft, mellow, and subtle enough not to overpower but distinct enough to be unmistakable. The alcohol is present but never harsh on the nose; instead, it interacts with the floral and citrus fruit notes, enhancing them. A drop of water completely eliminates that alcohol note (not ideal) and brings out a mellow sweetness perfectly balanced with the oak. A second drop of water adds an almost bubblegum-like note. It's a very pleasant shift in how the sweet notes emerge, with a touch of mint right at the very end. The taste features leather, aged, rich, antique-like oak notes, creme brulee, and fruity esters so intertwined with the oak that I can't separate them, but that combination is absolutely perfect. A drop of water introduces creaminess, making the entire mouth feel rich and velvety. Heavy oak, but not the young, cheap oak often found in 5 or even 10-year-old bourbons. This is the kind of oak you can almost taste when smelling a 100-year-old oak table. The water begins to reveal spice and perhaps a hint of chocolate (I didn't detect this on my first or even second tasting). Adding a second drop of water brings out a flavor similar to apple cinnamon pie, but less tart. And of course, vanilla is present throughout. As I continue to dilute it to explore further, I start to detect nutty notes, definitely not peanut. Perhaps walnut or a touch of almond. Oh, almost finished, and now I'm getting a note like solvent remover – hard to describe, but it's everything I hope for in truly aged bourbon. The finish on this one is incredibly long-lasting. It leaves a bourbon warmth and coats the tongue with leather, oak, and spice. I'm sure some will find this bourbon over-oaked. I'm sure some will find it a bit dry. I personally lean towards heavy oak, but I want a good balance with it. This is a bit drier than my preference, but the champion has found a unique and wonderful place. This is a dram that demands your time. I'm writing this review quickly to capture as many notes as possible, but this bourbon can take over an hour to fully open up in the glass, and water does amazing and special things with each drop, revealing unique flavors. Since these are single barrels, my barrel might be entirely different from yours. Due to the aging process, one barrel yielded only 6 bottles, while this one produced 90. I expect significant variation from bottle to bottle, so be aware they might not all be identical to this one. If you love older bourbon, if you believe 12 years is the starting point for bourbon, this is your bourbon. If you prefer younger bourbon, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere as this is expensive, difficult to find, and frankly, it wasn't made for you. Cheers. And long live the king.

There's a stretch of rural highway alongside Glenns Creek in central Kentucky with three distilleries within roughly five miles. Near the middle of this area is a pub/eatery called The Stave. The food is good, but for the purpose of this review, their bourbon selection is amazing, possibly 200 options. Most 1-ounce pours are reasonably priced. A 1-ounce pour of King of KY was $22. Jim Rutledge is known to prefer a small taste and then just savor the aroma for the evening. This would be perfect for him! The pour was served in a 2-ounce shot glass and had a deep tobacco color. The legs were thick and substantial, clinging to the glass. The scent was incredible, starting with brown sugar and shifting to citrus at times, then maple, then cinnamon. There was always a subtle background of leather and oak. Each inhale offered something slightly different. I've never enjoyed just smelling a bourbon so much. The taste is dominated by brown sugar, reminiscent of creme brulee. It has a chewy texture and the flavors linger. It's incredibly complex and perfectly aged. For me, this is the ideal bourbon and lives up to the anticipation.

Nose brings brown sugar, then a heavy wave of dark oak, leather, rich caramel, tobacco, and candy sweetness. Palate starts with a wave of drying oak, then baking spices, rich caramel, aged leather, Spanish peanuts, and sweetened vanilla. Finish is long, drying, and spicy with notes of aged oak, tobacco leaves, and vanilla sweetness. This is not for novices. Only a seasoned bourbon drinker will appreciate this. It offers no sweetness; it's all about the oak, leather, and intense barrel aromas and flavors. At first, the nose had a lot of ethanol, but more time in the glass revealed additional aromas. The palate immediately dries out the mouth, and the drinker is hit with heavy oak, baking spices, Spanish peanuts, and a touch of sweet vanilla toward the end. The finish is incredibly long, with more oak and tobacco notes, and just a faint sweetness at the very end. I anticipate many bourbon enthusiasts will eagerly seek this out. While not personally my preference, I understand its appeal.

The aroma instantly brings to mind bourbon from the 1960s. It has a leathery, chewy quality, like old rubber seals. This is a positive, as the scent of aged rubber seals is quite appealing to me. The first sip causes my eyes to water. This isn't due to exceptional flavor but rather the intense warmth. It's not unpleasant, just immediate. It lacks the taste of whiskey found on old, untouched shelves, which is a letdown because I enjoy that particular profile. Once the initial warmth fades, a lingering finish of cinnamon and cherry remains. The subsequent taste is considerably smoother. Notes of caramelized sugar meet the intersection of chocolate and leather. While not suitable for casual, daily drinking, it is remarkably tasty.

Barrel 20. An outstanding pour with abundant caramel, brown sugar, nutty notes, and spices. Nose: Caramel, white chocolate, brown sugar, marshmallows, apricots, pineapples Palate: Caramel, blackberries, pecan pie, Luxardo cherries, dark chocolate, raspberries, cinnamon, peppermint bark, raisins, licorice, nutmeg, cloves Finish: Brown sugar, pecans, honey, brown sugar, hazelnuts, raisins, tobacco, leather, toasted oak

Excellent. Truly decadent. It's not overpowering with proof, nor does it overwhelm with excessive complexity. While there are many flavors, they are classic BOURBON archetypes, simply amplified to the maximum. I believe this represents the peak of what a classic bourbon can achieve. It's great, and at its $299 MSRP, I would purchase and enjoy it.