Tastes

Not necessarily the most complex bourbon (even in its price range), but you'd be hard pressed to find one as rounded, smooth, and rich, with such well-developed oak notes. Let's hope this one remains as widely available as it currently is.

Despite Knob Creek's marketing for this bourbon, I received batch #4. I still can't find any info online regarding batches 4 and 5, other than people like me who are reporting snagging a bottle. This is a nice bourbon with great color and a luscious aroma wherein the brighter youthful notes have become mellowed, blended, and velvety. If you're seeking an older bourbon, you're probably hoping for strong oak notes on the palate, and while this one's got them, they are on the subtler side and are accompanied by notable astringency (I wonder if this had anything to do with their decision to dump the barrels at this point) that battles with the vanilla sweetness and burn, which is there even with a healthy dose of water and persists through the medium-length finish. Definitely a nice whiskey and tastes like its age, but my rating scale factors in value, and for me, this isn't as good as the equivalently priced (if/when you can get it) Pappy 15 year. If price isn't an object, go for it, but don't expect a miracle! It was easier for me to appreciate the subtlety of the aged characteristics drinking this after a much younger whiskey.

Definitely a great bourbon, but I prefer the Small Batch...this one has a lot more punch, burn, and more of a spicy profile, whereas the Small Batch is similar but with more of the fruity notes and is smoother. Well worth a try, though, as lots of people prefer this.

In spite of its really full body and texture and robust flavor, there's a cloying note in there I haven't picked up in any other bourbon that I just don't like--for lack of a better term, it reminds me of clay, but in an almost sickly way (more pungent than in Elijah Craig, the only other bourbon I'd ascribe a clay note to). I don't think it's the rye, as I'm cool with other high-ryes in my collection. I know a lot of people like this one and it's reasonably priced, though, so it's worth a try--but for my palate, at least, it'll come down to whether or not you like that one distinctive flavor note.