Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon 65% 2022

Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon 65% is the highest-proof bourbon the distillery has ever released.

An allocated whiskey these days, and this allotment is a particularly small blend built from the oldest barrels left in the bourbon inventory. Sixty-six barrels went into Batch 15 across three different cask sizes, most of them from one of the distillery's last remaining lots of 10-gallon barrels, which accelerate wood extraction dramatically. At 65 per cent it is the strongest bourbon Kings County has bottled. Small-barrel maturation of this kind is what gave Brooklyn craft whiskey its early reputation, and there is not much of that old stock left anywhere.

Nose and palate are tightly connected: brandied cherry, maple syrup, mahogany, brown sugar and toasted malt, closing on stewed plum and caramelised shortbread. Serve neat in a small pour, with water on the side. Overproof cocktails work if you respect the strength.