Kings County Distillery 6 Year Old ”Kings of New York” Barrel Strength Bourbon The Prime Barrel Pick #17

The Prime Barrel's 17th selection this year is a fortuitous one. We've gotten into a habit of checking with our favorite producers every so often about anything special they might have up their sleeves. Having done 4(!) barrel picks with Kings County Distillery this year alone (and 5 in total), it's pretty apparent they fall into our "favorite producers" category. It's easy to see why. They are local, run by great people, use iconic packaging, and, most importantly, produce outstanding whiskey. 

So when we called them late in November,  to our surprise, they had a lineup of barrels for us to pick from that we were not expecting. And as it is with all things that are meant to be, the process came together quickly, and the result is one fantastic selection.

So what makes this selection different from other KCD selections, you ask? First off, this is a 6.5-year-old barrel-strength whiskey that came from a 53-gallon barrel. Most KCD barrels are short barrels, but not this one. That and of itself, that's not all that impressive. However, the angel share of this barrel was super high, and the barrel produced only 86 750-ml bottles bottled at eye-watering 66.9% Proof. That's coming dangerously close to the hazmat status. The mashbill of the barrel consists of 80% organic NY State corn and 20%  English malted barley.

Here's what you can expect from this barrel:

• Nose: Caramel, bitter chocolate, dried dates, pecan pralines, and sea spray.
• Palate: Oaky, saline, and savory upfront with subtle hints of espresso bean, burnt sugar, and cinnamon on the mid-palate.
• Finish: Long and spicy with lingering notes of Sichuan peppercorn.

For the sticker theme, we went with a nod to the distillery's, and the county's in which it is located name (Kings) with a play on "Gangs of New York" movie (yes, that's Bill the Butcher on the sticker) that was set not far away from the distillery itself, Brooklyn's Redhook neighborhood. Taken all together - "Kings," nod to the "red" in "Redhook," and our love to the distillery ("heart") - we ended up with the Kings Of Heart card theme. We love how the sticker came out and hope you will as well.

The charity this barrel selection will be supporting is the New York area food bank. We've helped several different charities that are important to our members. Given the timing, it's only appropriate we give back to the community in which we operate for this particular selection. So $5 from each bottle will go to local food banks.