Knob Creek 12 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Dollar for dollar one of my favorites and it’s not that hard to find! Vanilla and orange spiciness followed by long linger of ginger snap.

Is there a term for when you become so overenthusiastic about the neck pour that you run out and buy another bottle, then time passes and you taste it again and think, yup, still good, but not quite what it was. That's been my experience with Knob 12. Pulled off the cap, poured myself a double, took a whiff, and I found myself overwhelmed with aromas of cocoa powder and cherry. And those are some of my favorite aromas to get from a bourbon. The only other time this has happened, by which I mean the neck pour followed by diminishment rather than augmentation by air, was Lot 40 Rye where over time the palate turned from something delectable to sweat socks. With the Knob 12, it's still a four star bourbon for me. At $60, this 12 year old whiskey is prime value, and I like it better than say, Eagle Rare 10, which is another prime age statement value whisky. It's just that, as time has passed that cocoa powder aroma has cooled, become muted, and been replaced by oak and leather. The cherry character has assumed a secondary quality and what I'm left with is a palate of vanilla, oak and peanut. It's rather dry whereas before it was sweet. I've never encountered a whisky where the character has changed quite so much over the course of the bottle being opened and still remained solid. I suppose what bothers me is that the neck pour had this tasting like a wheated bourbon like some of the Maker's special releases. And those tend to be my favorite bourbons. So it makes sense I'd go snatch up another bottle, especially as it's not super widely available and I can't image the price remaining $60 forever. After all, the Knob 15 went from $100 to $120 in the course of a year, and given how quickly prices are going up on good whiskies, I figure buy in bulk so I have it when I can no longer afford (or let's face it, no longer really want to pay) the exorbitant prices these companies get away with charging us. So there you have it, neck pour was probably 4.5 star for me here. Time has reduced it to a 4. But that's still pretty damn strong. This is in that highly recommended category for me. Oh, and I suppose I should point out in closing that a single ice cube in a shot of this brings the cherry back strong, so that's the way I prefer it now. But in the dog days of summer, that's the way I prefer most of my whiskey. So me and the Knob 12 here are simpatico in that sense.

I have had this one for a few weeks and almost finished the bottle. This about my 6 time drinking a pour it defiantly not be the last. On the noise I get the typical Jim beam nuttiness with vanilla frosting, on a cinnamon bun with a very faint hint of oak. On the palate I get sweet vanilla up front with a mid palate spice punch, then followed buy oak and peanut shell. The finish is nice and lingering, mouth coating and spice that sticks with you. Overall if you can find it at retail it is worth the price. I have enjoyed this bottle and look forward to picking up another.

Solid offering. Great price point. Would buy again.

Oaky/Leather heavy but balanced nicely by soft fruity notes of cherry/dried raisins. Touch of vanilla. Really balanced and smooth. Not my favorite flavor profile but a damn good bourbon.