In the bourbon world, it’s good to be the king.

One of America’s most coveted whiskeys is returning for the eighth consecutive year, and this time around, Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky is a series of 17-year-old single barrels ranging from 124.4 to 135 proof.

The King of Kentucky label dates back to 1881. In 2018, Brown-Forman revived the brand as a premium, allocated bottling. Across a portfolio that includes Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester, Brown-Forman markets King of Kentucky as its most high-end American whiskey. The annual release has become popular among drinkers and collectors alike, featuring high-proof single barrels aged between 14 and 19 years.

The bourbon in this year’s release comes from two production dates in 2007. As with all King of Kentucky releases, it’s distilled at Brown-Forman Distillery using a mash bill of 79% corn, 11% rye, and 10% malted barley.

To select King of Kentucky for 2025, master distiller emeritus Chris Morris sampled 100 barrels earmarked for the series. After 17 years, seven or eight were completely dry, having lost their contents to evaporation and leakage. Morris immediately rejected another seven or eight because the whiskey wasn’t up to quality standards. By the time he was done whittling things down, Morris identified 63 barrels for the release, which will yield about 5,000 bottles of King of Kentucky. That’s the same number of barrels as in the 2024 release, which carried a 16-year age statement.

All barrels used in the 2025 edition were sourced from the fourth floor of Warehouse J and the first floor of Warehouse G. The barrels were aged in heat-cycled environments, meaning the whiskey was exposed to warm, active aging temperatures throughout the year, including during the winter months.

According to Morris, the result is bourbon that often tastes older than its age statement. That said, he doesn’t have a rigid or preconceived notion of King of Kentucky’s flavor profile. Instead, Morris looks for barrels that produce a “big, lush” bourbon drinking experience — especially since flavors can vary from one barrel to the next.

“It’s like a vintage wine: You don’t know exactly what you have until you try it…I taste and take notes on every single barrel for King of Kentucky,” Morris told Food and Wine. “This is to showcase and reflect on all of our brands, to show we’re a high-quality spirits production company. If it’s the release that carries the Brown-Forman name, it has to be of extremely high quality.”

Notably for 2025, Morris identified significant flavor variation between barrels from the two original production dates. He says the most likely culprits are small idiosyncrasies in fermentation across batches. If previous years are any indication, that may simply add to King of Kentucky’s allure. Among novelty-obsessed single-barrel fans, variety is the spice of life.

The 2025 edition of Brown-Forman’s King of Kentucky begins U.S. distribution this fall. The suggested retail price for a 750-milliliter bottle is $399, up from $349 in 2024.