Tastes

Sipping at the moment over a cube. Give it about five minutes to open in the glass and you get a butter-toffee treat on the nose with a little citrus in the background. Surprisingly, the alcohol is very subdued as this is 100 proof. Now the first sip. More. I want more, I get more. More bourbon flavor, more oak, more toffee. It fills the mouth with a nice oily texture and flavors are complex yet balanced. There are similarities here to some very fine bourbons that go for twice the price and are hard to find. The finish is long and dry. MORE

I was hoping to be blown away but it just left me hoping for more. The story is great, using premium bourbon(s) blended with alternate barrel finishes by two of the greats in the industry. To me, there is an inherent conflict. Beam produces some world class premium bourbons but I question that finishing in California wine casks helped and probably resulted in a diminished product. I am probably too much of a purist to appreciate what was done here. No more for me. Count me in for Knob creek 120 single barrel!!!

A local store turned me on to this a good 10 years ago. 27 a bottle and go pick it up off the shelf. Elmer was alive then and picked every barrel. It was always very good and a bargain price for such solid bourbon. Then he died Since, I have to wait in line or enter a lottery to get a bottle as opposed to pick up a case at 10% discount. Still have some but no recent purchases. Whether neat or on the rocks, it has a depth of flavor not achieved by anything in the price range. I love the rich caramel that is almost buttery. The oily mouth feel is to behold as is the long lasting dry finish. Wile it is a world class bourbon so are mos bottles at $85 which is all I can find now on the secondary market