Kings County Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Kings County Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the Brooklyn-made, pot-distilled core bourbon from New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery: 45% ABV (90 proof), aged four to six years in new charred oak, in a 750mL bottle. It is a whiskey made like a Scotch — double-distilled in Scottish copper pot stills from a two-grain mash of 80% New York organic corn and 20% English Golden Promise barley — and it is frequently cited among the best non-Kentucky bourbons. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 45% (90 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 4-6 years in new charred American oak
- Mash bill: 80% New York organic corn, 20% English Golden Promise barley
- Distillation: Double-distilled in copper pot stills
- Origin: Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn's Bourbon, Made Like Scotch
Kings County Distillery, founded in 2010, is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first to operate in the city since Prohibition. In 2012 the distillery moved into the Paymaster Building in the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, and every drop it sells is mashed, fermented, distilled and aged on site there. The house style deliberately breaks from Kentucky convention: instead of column stills and rye or wheat in the mash, Kings County double pot-distills a high-malt, two-grain recipe — 80% New York organic corn (much of it from the Finger Lakes) with 20% English malted barley — then ages it in new charred oak for four to six years. The approach has made the distillery one of the preeminent craft whiskey makers in the US: Distillery of the Year from the American Distilling Institute in 2016 and again from the New Orleans Spirits Competition in 2023. Explore the Kings County collection, more bourbon, and the wider American whiskey shelf at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Rich and deep with sweet caramel, fresh vanilla and dark berry spice. The high-malt recipe gives it a distinctive character: an unusually creamy, Scotch-like purity of white spirit under the oak, full-bodied and complex. Retailers and reviewers consistently place it among the top craft bourbons made outside Kentucky.
How to Enjoy
Drink it neat or with a splash of water to open the caramel and berry-spice depth — this is a bourbon for the curious. It also stands up well in a Manhattan or Old Fashioned where a pot-distilled, full-flavored base makes the drink.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the mash bill of Kings County Straight Bourbon? 80% New York organic corn and 20% English Golden Promise barley — a two-grain, high-malt recipe with no rye or wheat.
Where is Kings County bourbon made? Entirely in Brooklyn, New York: mashed, fermented, distilled and aged at the distillery in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. None of it is sourced.
How long is it aged? Four to six years in new charred oak barrels — a straight bourbon in every legal sense.
Is it pot-distilled? Yes — double-distilled in Scottish copper pot stills, an unusual method for bourbon that gives it a Scotch-like purity.
A Brooklyn bourbon with a Scotch distiller's soul — order Kings County Straight Bourbon Whiskey online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.