I became aware of Kings County Distillery back in 2017 or 2018 when I ran across an article discussing some of the cool things they were doing with whiskey. I am also a history nerd and the fact they are located in the 123-year-old Paymaster building at the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, which has amazing architecture and history, also piqued my interest. While I have yet to tour this historical property in person, with a little internet research I uncovered a bevy of photographs and digital literature. The distillery blends in with the architecture, almost as if the building was pre-built knowing that one day, 100 years in the future, someone was going to put a distillery in it. Obviously, that was not the case, but the way Kings County Distillery has respected the original building and blended their equipment in with the original architecture of the building, is amazing.
It would be another year or two before I actually saw Kings County products on the shelf as they were not distributed in my area yet. By now, Kings County Distilling was creating a national buzz. I jumped at the chance to purchase a 375ml of their straight bourbon whiskey bottled at 90 proof. The whiskey was amazing. There was no age statement on the bottle, nor did it list a mash bill. A quick check of the website indicated the mash bill was 80% New York State organic corn and 20% English malted barley. It also indicated it was distilled twice in copper pot stills, then aged in new charred oak barrels. While perusing the website, I also noticed the list of medals King County has received in spirits competition, which was really impressive, especially for a distillery that
only been open for a decade or so.
As any good whiskey enthusiast would do upon finding such a gem as Kings County Distillery, I signed up for their email updates. This is where I first learned of their peated whiskey. As a huge scotch fan, I knew I had to try it. In late 2023, I received an email from the distillery announcing an extremely limited, distillery-only release. I set a calendar reminder and when the time came, I jumped online to make the purchase. Unfortunately, I had an issue (I was traveling, and my cell signal was extremely spotty) but I was able to contact customer service at the distillery. They went above and beyond to help me. In fact, they gave the kind of customer service that defines excellence and has made me a customer for life.
Back to the whiskey. This particular bottle was a barrel strength, single barrel number 1917. Kings County Distillery makes it a practice to release very limited quantity black label bottles as distillery-only releases. Barrel #1917 was one of these special barrels. This particular 53-gallon barrel was filled early on, when they began experimenting with peat.
Originally, they only used “half of the 25% share of malt in the mash bill” but they would later increase that share. This original recipe, peated bourbon barrel was set aside for advanced aging. It would be bottled at nearly nine years old and at a staggering 147.6 proof. In fact, this bottle was so unique the distillery said, “Simply put: we probably couldn’t do it again even if we tried.” There were only 131 bottles of this unique and rare bourbon produced. So, how does it taste? Glad you asked!
Tasting Notes
Kings County Distillery Barrel Strength, Single Barrel #1917
Tasted in a Neat Elite glass, full strength.
Nose –
Not what I was expecting. I really thought the ethanol would be overpowering, but it’s quite faint. Very oaky, a tiny bit of peat, and huge dried fruit. Also getting a fairly significant note of caramel.
After letting the glass sit for a bit, the ethanol note is all but gone and the caramel note is bigger than before. Also getting a dusty, musty note this time and I pick up the “brisket” note the distillery mentioned in its tasting notes.
Palate –
As expected, this one is hot. A spicy, oaky, caramel bomb. I can really pick up the peat. However, this really drinks below its proof. If I was tasting this blind, I would guess the proof to be in the 120 range. The peat really adds a unique, and quite frankly, amazing quality to the whiskey.
I then let it sit for about twenty minutes. The spice level dissipated a tiny bit, but the other notes were still about the same, except for the peat. The peaty note was bigger this time. I also started picking up a maltiness that I hadn’t noticed before.
Finish –
Caramel, oak, musty peat, and the finish lasts forever. Literally 30 minutes after tasting this, I was still feeling that amazing warmth and tasting bits of honey and oak.
I then added a few drops of water and re-nosed and re-tasted in a Neat Elite glass. While I don’t make it a habit of adding water to whiskey, this being a true hazmat whiskey (147.6 proof), I thought I would give it a try.
On the nose, this really enhanced both the brisket and caramel notes.
On the palate, the whiskey really mellowed out, but was still a monster (in a good way of course). I’m talking huge oak, dried fruit, and caramel. Plus, that smokey, peaty note that reminds me of my BBQ pit after smoking a good, quality brisket.
The finish mellowed a tiny bit but was still huge.
To say I’m thrilled to be able to taste such a unique and amazing whiskey is an understatement. This whiskey has earned its place on my top shelf, next to my other legendary bottles. Seriously, stories will be told for decades of barrel #1917. While the availability of this bottle is long gone, you really need to check out Kings County Distillery if you haven’t already.
