Our Newest Kings County Private Barrel

Kings County is a brand that seems to have gained a cult following, or at least a continually growing following, and with good reason. Kings County Distillery is New York City’s oldest operating whiskey distillery, the first since Prohibition. Founded in 2010, Kings County uses New York grain and traditional distilling equipment to produce whiskey in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, just steps from the former waterfront distillery district and the legendary site of the 1860s Brooklyn Whiskey Wars. Every drop the distillery sells is made in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. 
 
It’s always a special treat to select anything at Kings County. When sitting with Nathan and Ryan this year, blind tasting through an assortment of single barrels & micro-blends, I was drawn to 3 particular pours: a single barrel, and two separate blends containing that same barrel. I spent that next hour agonizing over the nuances between these 3 pours, ultimately to decide based on which glass I couldn’t help but finish. I landed on a cask strength, 3-barrel blend with a masterful balance of desserty sweetness and pronounced oak from nose to finish.

The backbone of the blend—43% of the final composition—began as a 4-year-old bourbon built on an 80% corn, 20% malted barley mashbill and aged in a 53-gallon Char 4 West Virginia barrel. Unlike the ISC 53-gallon barrels also used in the program, these West Virginia barrels are medium toasted prior to charring, a step that shows clearly in the finished whiskey. The result is a rounder sweetness and a more integrated oak presence that establishes early balance and gives this Private Barrel its immediate sense of approachability.

Another 34% of the blend comes from a 4-year-old bourbon aged in a 30-gallon Char 4 Barrel Mill barrel from Minnesota, the component most representative of the house style. Here, classic corn sweetness is layered against darker notes of char and cocoa, with hints of bittersweet chocolate and emerging dark fruit. The final 23% is drawn from a 7-year-old bourbon aged in a 15-gallon Char 3 Barrel Mill barrel, contributing a concentrated, top-of-the-pyramid note of deep, mature oak.

While this component leaned more earthy and oak-forward on its own, at this proportion it adds significant complexity without compromising softness or drinkability. All components were married in a 30-gallon Barrel Mill barrel for approximately two months prior to bottling, allowing the blend to fully integrate. There are only 101 bottles in this barrel - so grab yours below. 

Sweet, candy-like aromas of confectionery sugar with hints of wet grass, progressing into waffles and rich maple syrup.
 
Pronounced leather, clove, and brown butter lead into deliciously oaky notes of cathedral wood and steeped tea leaves.
 
The finish is long and leathery, rounded out with lingering sweet maple notes.