Tastes

Neat. Opened two months. Found this all store pick from Party Source stashed in the back of my bar. 13 year from April 2018. My first impression was just okay but I didn’t have a chance for a review at the time. Nose is quite dark, cinnamon and baking spice bomb. It’s a hot one too, can’t get too deep or the alcohol gator bites my nose. Caramel and oak. I’ll call this average like my first impression but there is a note I really like. Like charred marshmallow or meringue, like if you pull out a torch and do it to a baked Alaska. I like that note. Bit watery, not as thick and vicious. All cinnamon, baking spices and oak again. Not a fan of this one. First impression is holding true. It’s bitter. Drying in a bad way. Cotton mouth. Barrel 6779 is just not a winner for me. Least favorite Knob Creek store pick I have had. I’ll see if I can mix with it. I usually never open another Knob Creek until the current one is done. May have to make an exception on this one. Bah.

Neat. Neck pour. I drink this a lot at restaurants and concerts but never had a bottle on my bar until now. I love most Turkey products. I had a Kentucky Spirit that was underwhelming for the price but other than that I tend to love it all. Nose is delightful. Deep, bready baking spices. Nice vanilla coupled with burnt caramel. Hint of cherry. I’d venture to say this is the best nose on a $20 or less bourbon. Nice creamy texture. Very light cinnamon sugar up front, transitions to the caramels and vanillas. Rye really lingers on the back. Such a good bourbon for the price. The flavors are crisp but nothing over the top great. Just solid through and through. I would be good with this an as everyday drinker.

Neat. Neck pour. Initial impression is subtle but super rich on the nose. It is not in your face like ECBP can be but it is jammed with flavor. Nuttiness and oak hit me first, toasted coconut maybe. An amazing cherry note surrounded by vanilla. Hint of banana bread. This is really really good. Geez this is good. Super creamy but not viscous or syrupy as some ECBP. Flavors for miles and intense. There is a cherry note here so sweet it hurts. The initial hit on the tongue is surprising. It’s citrus and orange and once you swallow it is an uppercut if cherry, vanilla, chocolate, oak, tobacco, hint of leather. Around the flavor wheel we go, over and over and over. Legs don’t stop. This is nuts. I’ll regret it in the morning but this deserves a side by side with C919... Holy shit it crushes it. This needs more side by sides but B520 may be the Batch 12 of ECBP. Wow.

Neat. Opened for a year or more. I loved this on my first taste but since then I have found a steady stream of 13-15 year store picks. I wondered how this stood up to time. And the nose is fantastic. Gosh. Classic nuttiness surrounded by ripe and gushing cherries. Deep deep oak and leather. A gray burnt caramel. French vanilla. I could spend a long time with this because it has a nose that plays all these beautiful notes. Goes between light bright notes to deep dark notes and everything in between. And of it is so rich and crisp. I don’t have a side by side but this does strike me as a level beyond the store pick barrels. I was honestly going into this thinking it was over priced in retrospect... maybe not? Super syrupy and thick. Brown sugar and oak on the tongue, so dark. Then uppercuts you with the cherry and vanilla. Leaves you with the burnt caramel, oak and a hint of the nuttiness. Drinks like 100 proof. The finish goes on and on and on. Yeah, this truly is a definitive Knob Creek experience. I recently finished my Knob Creek 2001 Batch 1 and that one lost its luster a bit as time went on. This one is special. $120 is a lot for a Knob Creek single barrel but I think a bottle of this is worth two store picks. It’s a step beyond them off memory.

Neat. Neck pour. First time having this beloved bottle. $18 in Ohio. Nose is very nutty. Some chocolate and toffee. Nice vanilla. For only 100 proof, you can get caught by the alcohol if you dive too deep. Texture is light but not thin. Dark chocolate sweetness on the tongue, transitions into that nuttiness and straight into the vanilla. Finish is a bit drying with a hint of oak and that charcoal finish. This is a great bottle. Not just because it’s $18 but because it is $18 bucks with no real negative qualities. That finish holds it back a tad if I am being picky. Otherwise it’s a nice Nutter Butter sandwich with vanilla wafers in the middle.

Neat. Open a few months. Been a long time since I drank Special Reserve. Used to be my daily since we are spoiled in Ohio. Really digging this nose tonight. Sweet oak dipped in charred caramel and a little vanilla. Nice bread note. This is a perfect nose to me for a daily quality bourbon. Thin on the tongue with some initial brown sugar sweetness. Transitions to all caramel. Caramel on caramel. Legs end with a hint of vanilla and the oak. You know, shame on me. I stopped drinking this as my choices expanded and I forgot how much I liked this. This has to be my favorite pour around the $25 range. Everything about it is pleasant and makes me smile without making me think. That’s a perfect daily.

Neat. Opened a few months. Gallenstein pick. A bit different than I remember. Getting more on the nose than I recall last time. Light cedar and vanilla. Little apple. Hint of graham cracker. Hint of cinnamon. It’s light but also oily, gives it an unexpected thickness. Vanilla reigns supreme. Hint of mint and maybe apple but it’s just a creamy vanilla through and through. Bit dry on the finish with a hint of that cedar. On subsequent sips that mint becomes more dominant. I like this more than the last time I tried it. This is a beginners whiskey. Give this to a newbie, let them get used to the low proof and see if they can pick out the vanilla. I’ll never buy this again but I must admit that it got better beyond the neck pour. If I did buy it again, it would be as a gift to a novice whiskey drinker.

Neat. Neck pour. Gallenstein pick, 120 proof, 6 year MGP. Classic MGP rye on the nose, almost indistinguishable from a Rossville I have. Rye, dill and mint up from. A lovely rye bread. Getting some pear and vanilla as I sit with it. The nose is interesting as it goes from light to dark notes, back and forth every time I go in. So oily and viscous. Really coats. This really good. Lights the tongue up instantly with this dark maple and pepper. Swings back with a lovely vanilla and the pear. Leaves you with that rye and hint of dill. This is top notch MGP rye. The legs hang in there too, really lingers with that vanilla. Hard to believe this is 120 proof. I think this could easily pass for 100 even. I’m impressed by this pick. Beats the Rossville (non-store pick) I have. I am not a fan of the dill note I get from MGP rye but this has enough going on around and beyond it that it has won me over on the first impression.

Neat. Open 6 months. Been awhile since I explored this. With Weller 12, the nose is such a big stand out. The sweet out is so inviting and at such a low proof you can really bury your nose in it. Sweet oak, burnt caramel, and baking spices is all there really is though. Bit thin but also velvety in texture. Taste mirrors the nose. Sweet oak transitions to the caramel and the baking spices linger on the legs. Leaves a heavy oak after taste that dries the mouth. The more bourbons I explore, the less I love Weller 12. The nose is great and the sweet oak is delicious, but it lacks depth. The after taste can be a bit funky too. I know the FOMO is strong with this one but it really isn’t worth secondary. I prefer OWA.

Neat. Bottle kill review. Batch 1.This bottle has been my friend for awhile but all good things come to an end. It’s my daughter’s 7th b-day and I have decided to kill the last 4 ounces tonight. Perfect time for a review. An amazing cherry note on the front mixed with vanilla frosting and a hint of nuttiness. Brings back memories of my grandparents and their favorite cafeteria restaurant. It had this vanilla pudding, cherry pie covered in crushed peanuts. The graham cracker pie crust is there too. I love this nose. Mouth feel is super oily but a bit thin too. The oily part dominates later though. Really getting punched by the oak tonight. Starts out light and bright with the vanilla and the oak drops like anvil. Vanilla lingers and that cherry comes around more on subsequent sips. The nuttiness is very very very subtle. Still a great pour. Since I bought this bottle a consistent wave of 14-15 year 120 proof store picks have been around my area. While I love the nose on this, the taste is just okay compared to those store picks. That brings my score down a peg.