King of Kentucky Small Batch 3 Bourbon

King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon (2026 Release - Batch 3 of 3)

Price

$499.95

✔ Authenticated by the house — seal, fill level, and label inspected before release
✔ Documented provenance on every bottle
✔ Climate-safe, collector-grade packaging

Age: 12 Years (Blended from barrels aged 12 to 18 years) | Region: Kentucky, United States | Proof: 110.0

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

110

Proof

55%

ABV

2026

Released

Feb 2026

Announced

700 mL

Format

Kentucky

Region

King of Kentucky Small Batch Batch 3 is the 110-proof bottling, the highest strength in Brown-Forman’s 2026 release and the one where oak takes the lead. It is a 12-year Kentucky straight bourbon on a mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley, blended from roughly 100 barrels aged 12 to 18 years at the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky under DSP-KY-354, and bottled at 700 mL. Despite the brand’s barrel-strength reputation, Batch 3 is proofed down with Kentucky limestone water like the other two.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

110 proof, 55% ABV — the top of the 2026 range, five proof points above Batch 1.

The longest and most oak-forward finish of the three, per Brown-Forman’s own notes.

Not barrel strength. The single-barrel King of Kentucky is; this is proofed down with limestone water.

12-year age statement, from the same blend that produced Batches 1 and 2.

The brand’s first small-batch bourbon in more than 90 years, and the first three-batch series it has ever issued.

700 mL, suggested at $299 by Brown-Forman, into 36 markets with all three batches equally represented.

Nº 02

The Small Batch Build

Small Batch 2026 Batch 3

King of Kentucky dates to 1881, when the Louisville distiller and horseman John Roach named it for thoroughbred racing. Brown-Forman has held the brand since 1936 and brought it back in 2018 as a single-barrel bourbon bottled at full barrel strength, which is the version that built its reputation. The 2026 Small Batch is a deliberate break from that model and the brand's first small-batch bourbon in more than 90 years. It came about because barrels pulled for the annual single-barrel selection were yielding too little to bottle on their own, so Morris and whiskey developer Cole Irvin blended roughly 100 of them into one profile instead, divided it three ways, and brought each portion to strength with Kentucky limestone water. The single-barrel release continues every fall; this one exists alongside it, not in place of it.

Nº 03

The Batch

How the blend was built

Batch construction

Approximately 100 barrels blended to a

Single profile, then divided into three and bottled at different proofs

Proofing

Brought to bottling strength with

Kentucky limestone water — not bottled at barrel strength

Mash bill

75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley

Stated by Brown-Forman for the Small Batch Collection, and a departure from the 79% corn, 11% rye, 10% malted barley recipe used for the single-barrel King of Kentucky releases.

Yeast

One proprietary strain, shared across

All three batches

Nº 04

Sensory Profile & Strategy

Distiller notes & position

Sensory Profile

Nose: Rich chocolate and brown sugar, brightened by citrus and pine.
Palate: Bold oak and spice, fruitier than the lower two despite the added weight.
Finish: The longest of the three, and the most oak-driven.

Strategic Position

At the top of a graduated series the question is always whether the extra proof buys anything beyond heat. Here it buys oak and spice without flattening the fruit — Brown-Forman’s notes put citrus and pine on this batch that the 105 does not carry, which is not what a simple dilution ladder would predict. That makes Batch 3 the most interesting single bottle of the three to own on its own terms. It shelves with the barrel-archive bourbons at Midnight Whiskey.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

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Collector Note

Top-of-range bottlings move first, and in a series defined by proof the 110 is what a single-bottle buyer reaches for. That has a consequence worth stating plainly: Batch 3 is the one most likely to be bought for its number rather than for its place in the collection, which is exactly why it thins out before the other two and why assembled sets tend to be missing this end rather than the middle. There is also a mismatch to be aware of when comparing prices — King of Kentucky built its name on barrel-strength single barrels that run well past 125 proof, and buyers who know the brand by that number sometimes read 110 as a step down rather than as a different product. It is a different product. The 107.5-proof batch below it and the entry-level Batch 1 finish the vertical.

→

How to Taste It

Last in the order. By the time you reach 110 the oak is leading, so give this one longer in the glass than you gave the other two — the citrus and pine Brown-Forman describes sit behind the wood and need a few minutes to come forward. Water does more visible work here than anywhere else in the collection, which makes this the batch to experiment on once the neat comparison across all three is finished.

Collector IndexMW VAULT

Distillery: Brown-Forman Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Release: King of Kentucky Small Batch, Batch 3 of 3, 2026
Proof: 110
ABV: 55%
Age statement: 12 years on the label
Format: 700 mL

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Class	Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Release	King of Kentucky Small Batch, Batch 3 of 3, 2026
Proof	110
ABV	55%
Age statement	12 years on the label; the blend is drawn from barrels aged 12 to 18 years
Mash bill	75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley — stated by Brown-Forman for the Small Batch Collection, and a departure from the 79% corn, 11% rye, 10% malted barley recipe used for the single-barrel King of Kentucky releases.
Yeast	One proprietary strain, shared across all three batches
Batch construction	Approximately 100 barrels blended to a single profile, then divided into three and bottled at different proofs
Proofing	Brought to bottling strength with Kentucky limestone water — not bottled at barrel strength
Region	Kentucky
Distillery	Brown-Forman Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
Regulatory ID	DSP-KY-354
Format	700 mL
Announced	4 February 2026

Nº 07

Records & Assurance

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What proof is King of Kentucky Small Batch Batch 3?

King of Kentucky Small Batch Batch 3 is bottled at 110 proof, or 55% ABV. It is the highest of the three strengths in Brown-Forman's 2026 Small Batch collection, above Batch 1 at 105 proof and Batch 2 at 107.5, and Brown-Forman gives it the longest and most oak-forward finish of the three.

Why did Brown-Forman release King of Kentucky Small Batch in 2026?

For an occasion and for a practical reason. Brown-Forman issued the collection on 4 February 2026 to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States and the founding of Kentucky County, Virginia, which became the state of Kentucky — Chris Morris called it the brand's birthday present to America. The practical reason was yield: barrels set aside for the annual King of Kentucky single-barrel release had lost so much to evaporation that some held only 16 percent of the whiskey originally entered, too little to bottle individually. Blending roughly 100 of them let Brown-Forman put whiskey of that age into 36 markets rather than a few dozen bottles.

Is King of Kentucky Small Batch bottled at barrel strength?

No. King of Kentucky Small Batch is proofed down with Kentucky limestone water to 105, 107.5 and 110 proof across its three batches. That is the main departure from the King of Kentucky Single Barrel, which Brown-Forman has bottled at full barrel strength since reviving the brand in 2018 and continues to release each fall. The two expressions also use different mash bills: 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley for the Small Batch, against 79% corn, 11% rye and 10% malted barley for the Single Barrel.

Midnight Whiskey · The Vault Small Batch 2026 Batch 3

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King of Kentucky

The Elemental Distinction

The Small Batch Build