“The king stays the king” – D’Angelo Barksdale
Maybe you’re not acquainted with the monolithic mid-aughts must-see tv program “The Wire.” For those who aren’t, that’s completely effective. All it’s worthwhile to know is that it’s a criminal offense drama that in its first season centered on one legal group’s quest to put declare to territory in West Baltimore, and it’s often considered one of many higher American tv reveals of all time.
Throughout one scene from the third episode of the primary season we discover two low degree members of the legal group taking part in checkers on a chess set. The next rating member, D’Angelo Barksdale, informs them that this merely gained’t fly. “Chess is a greater recreation” he tells them, earlier than utilizing the items as a metaphor to clarify how each the sport and “the sport” are performed. Whereas describing how the varied items and their actions work he’s requested “how do you get to be the king?” to which he replies “the king stays the king.”
It’s a scene that was immediately iconic and a metaphor that works properly right here as I tackle the position of Mr. Barksdale and clarify a bit about how the whiskey world works. In immediately’s market there’s no scarcity of manufacturers who hope to place themselves as producers of the subsequent yearly sought-after expression. What started amongst fans with the lionization of the Pappy Van Winkle lineup now extends to seemingly each providing that’s described as a “restricted version.” Nevertheless, most of those would-be kings aren’t really producing whiskeys worthy of your hard-earned cash, expensive reader, as you certainly know if you happen to often learn this web site.
Sadly, that hasn’t prevented practically each model in the marketplace from charging customers a premium worth for merchandise that pale compared to the choose few whiskeys that distinguish themselves from the pack. These whiskeys embrace alternatives from the Buffalo Hint Vintage Assortment, 4 Roses Restricted Version Small Batch, the Heaven Hill Heritage Assortment’s 17 12 months Bourbon, and the topic of immediately’s evaluate: Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky.
The King of Kentucky model traces its historical past again to 1881 with its founding by John Roach. It was later bought by Brown-Forman in 1936 and by 1940 that they had transformed it from a bourbon to a blended whiskey to swimsuit the prevailing tastes of the time. As whiskey’s reputation waned, so did the renamed “King Whisky,” and the model was ultimately discontinued in 1968. That brings us as much as the trendy period when, in 2018, Brown-Forman determined to revive the model, place it as a super-premium providing, and return it to its roots as a top quality bourbon.
Now in its fifth 12 months, the King of Kentucky model has developed a feverish following as one of the vital sought-after annual releases on the bourbon calendar. Whereas King of Kentucky is extraordinarily restricted (this 12 months marks its most widespread launch with simply 3,500 bottles obtainable) that hasn’t stopped the phrase from spreading far and extensive about its supposed superlative high quality. As a result of immediately marks Malt’s first evaluate of the expression I’ll be conserving my expectations in test and sampling the 2022 model as objectively as humanly doable.
I ought to be aware right here that calling this the “2022 model” is a little bit of a misnomer, as there are in truth two releases from King of Kentucky this 12 months. Brown-Forman produced this 15 12 months expression of Kentucky straight bourbon that I’ve in entrance of me, in addition to a hyper-limited 18 12 months previous model in a run of solely 250 bottles. The 15 12 months model retails for $250 and can see a launch in Kentucky, with restricted portions additionally going to Illinois and Ohio, whereas the extra allotted 18 12 months model retails for $350 and will probably be a Kentucky unique. This was a pattern despatched freed from cost by Brown-Forman.
As for a number of ultimate particulars earlier than we get into the evaluate: this 2022 15 year-old model of King of Kentucky is a single barrel bourbon. I will probably be making an attempt barrel no. 14, the so-called “Consultant barrel”, which clocks in at 130.6 proof (65.3% ABV) and is barrel power, then minimally filtered. The mash invoice is 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley.
King of Kentucky 15 12 months 2022 – Overview
Colour: Mild mahogany.
On the nostril: Darkish chocolate, caramel, pecans, and wealthy leather-based all leap out at first in a gooey scrumptious burst. Darkish cherry, polished oak, and an intriguing mild contact of pine pulsate beneath. Each layer is wealthy and instructions consideration by itself however additionally they work collectively in great concord. Cookie dough wafts out of the glass as properly and every whiff holds a good bit of warmth that quickly dissipates and permits for almond extract to come back by. The nostril is completely excellent and I want I may odor this all day lengthy.
Within the mouth: The primary sip is scorching but it surely’s completely bursting with these preliminary notes of darkish chocolate, gooey caramel, and pecans. There’s additionally a heaping of burnt brown sugar and that wealthy leather-based taste undergirding all of it. Oak and pine exist in interaction with the leather-based because the spine on the palate. Then the darkish cherry develops mid palate and extends all through the prolonged end. Lastly there’s additionally an elusive mint be aware that presents itself however appears to vanish each time I am going looking for extra. The mouthfeel is maybe probably the most unremarkable a part of this pour because it’s a bit middling, although it definitely holds wealthy layers of taste. The end, it must be mentioned, is fairly drying with solely the roof of the mouth and the perimeters of the tongue surviving its results as brown sugar and all spice intensify over time after the preliminary sip.
Conclusions:
Whereas I’ve been a bit important in denoting the end as drying and the mouthfeel as common, it must be mentioned that each are nonetheless fairly gratifying, and total that is maybe the very best new launch I’ve had all 12 months. The flavour is multilayered, darkish, and harmonious, whereas skewing candy which falls squarely inside my wheelhouse of most popular profiles.
Regardless of being a tad dry for my liking, the end shows a beautiful quantity of stability between the oak and a lush darkish cherry be aware which makes this pour most outstanding. Compared to the Heaven Hill 17 12 months bourbon which I beforehand had the chance to evaluate, that is maybe simply as “darkish” of a taste profile however infuses way more fruit, caramel, and wealthy chocolate which locations it a notch above in my e-book, this earlier than contemplating that it’s priced $25 decrease. For my part this advanced whiskey showcases precisely what Brown-Forman Grasp Distiller Chris Morris is able to, and it’s a worthy wearer of the crown.
As D’Angelo Barksdale mentioned, “the king stays the king.”
Rating: 9/10
Bottle picture courtesy of Brown-Forman; additionally they offered this pattern. Per Malt editorial coverage, this doesn’t have an effect on our notes or scores however is being disclosed within the spirit of full transparency.
