Rare Character "Permitted Hazmat" 8 Year 11 Months Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey The Prime Barrel Pick #94

The brand's new burgundy top KOA series launches with a standout HAZMAT release, only the third of its kind. This release packs a punch at 140 proof, bottled and aged in Central Kentucky. While the distillate source remains confidential under an NDA, it features prominent notes of cinnamon candy, cherry cola, and brown sugar. The mashbill is 75/21/4, inviting those with whiskey knowledge to speculate about its origins.

We compared this exceptional sample from the KOA barrel series against some of the most revered high-proof expressions: BTAC George T Stagg 2012 (17 yr, 142.8 proof) and 2014 (16 yr, 138.1 proof) releases, and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch 6 (12 yr, 140.2 Proof). This barrel not only held its own but also tied with the hazmat GTS expression and surpassed the 2014 GTS release, ranking closely behind ECBP.

This is high praise indeed, and we invite you to judge for yourselves.