Founded in 2009 by Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, Kings County is located in Brooklyn, NY at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. To create their various whiskeys, Kings County uses a Forsyths alembic copper still built in Scotland and a Vendome copper still made in Kentucky. Narrow cuts are made from the copper stills at a distillation proof of 148 – 130 with a lower barrel entry proof of 110-116. A four day open air fermentation using wooden vats allow wild yeast and bacteria to enter the beer/mash giving it a sour characteristic. Lastly, Kings County use high malt barely mash bills that are more typical of European whiskey that include a combination of local organic NY non-GMO grains and malted barley imported from the UK. There is a lot of information you can find on the Kings County website but I reached out with specific questions for this batch. Colin Spoelman responded within the hour and answered my questions.
Mostly Bourbon: What are the ages of the barrels used in this batch?
Colin: 4 to just under 6 years.
Mostly Bourbon: Info on your site says primarily 10 Gallon barrels were used but what other sizes are used in batch 15?
Colin: We used 10s, 15s and one 53-gallon barrel.
Mostly Bourbon: Are you moving away from smaller barrels and using 53 gallon barrels going forward?
Colin: In general yes, but the barrel strength tends to pull disproportionately from smaller stock since we want a lot of flavor to stand up to high proof. The regular flagship whiskeys rely more on full sized barrels—and we’ve been filling 53s with a handful of 30s since the summer of 2018.
Mostly Bourbon: What cooperage do you use for your barrels and what char/toast levels are you using in this batch?
Colin: All of these are Barrel Mill Char 3, except for the 53, which is ISC Coopers Select Char 4.
Mostly Bourbon: Are your barrel warehouses temp controlled?
Colin: No, but we have 4 different warehouses, and these came primarily from Cook St., a windowless masonry warehouse in Brooklyn. Not temperature controlled, but not quite the same as a tin shed in rural Kentucky. We have tin shed-style warehouses in Patchogue NY that haven’t released any mature whiskey, and some barrels are stored upstairs in the distillery itself.
Review
Hanging out in Brooklyn is always fun but driving there from Dutchess County is not my favorite thing to do on any given day. I’ll get there soon, but the meantime I’m going to check out what this 65% ABV barrel strength batch is all about and let you know.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Kings County Distillery.
Proof: 130.
Age: NAS (4 to just under 6 years) .
Batch 15 info : Created from 66 barrels across three different cask sizes (10, 15 and 53 gallon), but primarily from one of their last remaining lots of 10 gallon barrels (see barrel pyramid picture).
Mash bill: 80% NY corn/20% UK malted barley.
Price: $99.
Appearance: Dark copper.
Nose
Dark cherry reduction, nectarines, orange peel, brown sugar, cocoa, cereal malt, cinnamon and oak. This smells is as rich as it looks. Dark cherries and stone fruits are what I notice first mixed in with dark brown sugar, cocoa and barrel char. The high malt mash bill creates a toasty sweet cereal note that hangs underneath along with just enough barrel char to keep the sweeter notes in check, with a hint of cinnamon spice. This nose is fantastic with surprisingly no heat considering the high proof.
Palate
The mouthfeel is good and viscous. There are no surprises with the nose transferring to the palate with dark cherry, stone fruit, chocolate, orange and brown sugar. Toasty malt ties it all together with a good amount of barrel char. An excellent balance of cinnamon spice enters the sip covering the mid and back palate continuing to the finish. The blend is fantastic allowing all of these delicious notes to be picked out very easily, drinking way below its proof.
Finish
Cinnamon spice stays on the palate as soft tannins of leather enter in. Chocolate, cherry, malt and cinnamon linger for a long enjoyable finish with no dryness of bitterness whatsoever.
With a few drops of water the nose and palate open up with more nectarine, orange and malt, with more cinnamon coming though on the palate continuing through to the finish.
Conclusion
Kings County has created a fantastic and unique profile with this mash bill and a blend that is perfect. The high malted barley adds a distinct character to this expression that is both unmistakable and subtle at the same time. I highly recommend Kings County Barrel Strength Bourbon but it may not be for someone looking for a traditional bourbon profile. As for value, this expression is a bit pricey but considering the quality, amazing blending, ABV and the attention to detail on this batch, I absolutely feel that I got my monies worth. I saw a few Kings County barrel strength bottles like this locally around eight months ago but didn’t realize these batches were limited and missed out. I’m glad that I picked it up this time around.
Rating
8.7/10
Kings County Pot Stills
Kings County Distillery Room
Kings County Distillery
Colin Spoelman & David Haskell
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
