King of Kentucky Small Batch Set of 3

King of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Set of 3 (2026 Release - Batches 1–3)

Price

$1,299.95

✔ 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: 105 / 107.5 / 110

Secure payments

Vault-to-door shipping

Adult signature (21+) at delivery

Feb 2026

Announced

3 × 700 mL

Format

Kentucky

Region

DSP-KY-354

Regulatory ID

The King of Kentucky Small Batch set of three brings together every bottling of Brown-Forman’s 2026 release — Batch 1 at 105 proof, Batch 2 at 107.5 and Batch 3 at 110. All three are the same Kentucky straight bourbon: roughly 100 barrels aged 12 to 18 years were blended to a single profile, then divided into three batches and brought to different strengths with Kentucky limestone water. Each carries a 12-year age statement, the 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley mash bill, and a 700 mL format. Brown-Forman announced the collection on 4 February 2026 for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Nº 01

The Elemental Distinction

All three 2026 bottlings in one purchase: Batch 1 at 105 proof, Batch 2 at 107.5, Batch 3 at 110.

One whiskey, three strengths — approximately 100 barrels aged 12 to 18 years were blended to a single profile before any of it was divided or bottled.

Every bottle carries a 12-year age statement.

Brown-Forman published separate tasting notes for each batch — holding all three is the only way to read them against each other.

Identical everywhere the comparison would otherwise be muddied: one mash bill of 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley, one proprietary yeast strain, one distillery at Shively, Kentucky under DSP-KY-354, one bottle size.

The first three-batch series King of Kentucky has released, issued for the 250th anniversary of the United States.

Some of the barrels behind the release held just 16 percent of their original liquid by the time they were emptied.

Nº 02

The Small Batch Build

Small Batch 2026 Set

What makes this release legible as a set is how much Brown-Forman held constant. Approximately 100 barrels aged 12 to 18 years were blended to a single profile before anything was divided — one whiskey, not three. Every bottle therefore draws on the same 75% corn, 15% rye and 10% malted barley mash bill, the same proprietary yeast strain and the same 12-year statement, and comes from the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively, Kentucky under DSP-KY-354 in 700 mL. The one variable is bottling strength, reached with Kentucky limestone water after maturation rather than during it, and set at 105, 107.5 and 110 proof. That is a narrower spread than most graduated releases attempt — five proof points end to end — which is the reason the three were issued together rather than spaced across a year. Brown-Forman also published its own notes for each batch instead of one shared description, treating the differences as the product. The barrels themselves were pulled from the selection destined for the annual single-barrel release and set aside when their yields proved too small to bottle individually.

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

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: Chocolate runs through all three: marshmallow and dried apricot at 105, darker fruit at 107.5, brown sugar lifted by citrus and pine at 110.
Palate: Oak and toasted coconut at 105; vanilla over dark fruit at 107.5; oak forward with spice at 110.
Finish: Silky and shortest at 105, velvety and expansive at 107.5, longest and most oak-driven at 110.

Strategic Position

A vertical only works if you hold every rung. Brown-Forman built the 2026 release to be read across rather than sampled from — one whiskey, one age band, one distillery, three bottling strengths — and a complete set is the only form in which that argument can actually be tested. It sits in the Kentucky bourbon verticals at Midnight Whiskey as one line item instead of three.

Nº 05

Collector Note & Index

Vault provenance

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Collector Note

Brown-Forman set a suggested retail of $299 a bottle and never published a price for three; what a set costs is whatever the bottles cost, assembled. The argument for buying it assembled is attrition. Graduated series come apart from the middle outward, and a set that has lost one rung is worth less than the sum of what remains, because the comparison is the point. This was also a limited run into 36 markets, so replacing a single bottle later means finding that exact batch rather than any King of Kentucky. If you would rather build it yourself, Batch 1 on its own at 105 proof, Batch 2 on its own at 107.5 proof and Batch 3 on its own at 110 proof are each listed separately.

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How to Taste It

Taste them in order — 105, then 107.5, then 110 — and use three identical glasses, poured to the same level. The differences Brown-Forman is pointing at are small enough that glass shape and pour size will swamp them if you let those vary. Go neat on all three first. Chris Morris built the set around what a small addition of water does to one spirit, so save that for a second pass and add the same measure to each glass.

Collector IndexMW VAULT

Distillery: Brown-Forman Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age statement: 12 years on the label
Format: 3 × 700 mL

Nº 06

Technical Specifications

Specification	Detail
Class	Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Set contents	Batch 1 of 3, Batch 2 of 3 and Batch 3 of 3, 2026 Small Batch collection
Proofs in the set	105, 107.5 and 110
ABV in the set	52.5%, 53.75% and 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
Region	Kentucky
Distillery	Brown-Forman Distillery, Shively, Kentucky
Regulatory ID	DSP-KY-354
Format	3 × 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 is included in the King of Kentucky Small Batch set of three?

The set brings together all three bottlings of Brown-Forman's 2026 King of Kentucky Small Batch collection: Batch 1 at 105 proof, Batch 2 at 107.5 proof and Batch 3 at 110 proof. Each is a 700 mL bottle of Kentucky straight bourbon carrying a 12-year age statement. Brown-Forman released the three as separate bottlings, and the set assembles them.

Are the three King of Kentucky Small Batch bottles the same whiskey?

Yes. Brown-Forman blended barrels aged 12 to 18 years into a single profile, then divided that one whiskey into three batches and brought each to a different strength with Kentucky limestone water. Master Distiller Emeritus Chris Morris framed the release as showing how the addition of water alters the flavor profile of the same spirit. All three share the 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley mash bill, one proprietary yeast strain, the Brown-Forman Distillery at Shively, Kentucky, and the 700 mL format. Proof is the only variable: 105, 107.5 and 110.

Can the King of Kentucky Small Batch bottles be bought individually?

Yes. Brown-Forman released Batch 1, Batch 2 and Batch 3 as three separate bottlings rather than only as a set, each at a suggested retail price of $299. Buying them together matters only if the comparison across the three proofs is the point; any one of them stands on its own as a 12-year Kentucky straight bourbon.

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King of Kentucky

The Elemental Distinction

The Small Batch Build