Knob Creek 12 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Leather

This is exquisite, in my top 5 all time. The nose is a fresh, complex sweet, with tons of vanilla, char, wood chips, and caramel coming through. A deep wiff shows marshmallows, and even chocolate orange vibes. Rich, in a word. The palate delivers, and then some. The palate begins with some heat - reminding you of the rye in the mashbill. Spicy, with rich almost pepper jelly/mexican hot chocolate flavors coming through. The spice subsides to deliver the sweetness the nose promised: again, almost like a s'more: smoky, sweet, and a thick amalgam of flavors. The wood starts to kick in about halfway through the palate, and the finish is extremely long, almost on par with ECBP. The finish is sweet, and my favorite kind of wood taste: dusty, charred, and almost caramelized. I think that from a value and availability standpoint, this is almost unbeatable. I have multiple SiB KC offerings (120 proof, 11 years old), and they are also delicious, but I feel that the lower proof (100) of this product almost lets everything shine brighter (counterintuitive, I know). I think a good comparison here is ECBP. ECBP is higher proof but just as good a value for money, but extremely hard to find. KC 12 doesn't grow on trees to be clear, but it will at least be on shelves sometimes. And once again, the proof is closer to that of my liking. One of my favorites and I hope it is a yearly release with high standards maintained. Buy on sight.

Rich, smooth, butter pecan, vanilla, mild spice, rich and full very oily

Spiced vanilla, thin mouthfeel yet round

Bottle took some opening to be unique. At first tasted like regular knob creek mixed with something. I let it sit a couple weeks and now it’s good. Dark cherry, vanilla and chocolate on the nose. Tobacco, sweet oak, mint and vanilla sweetness and a little pepper on the finish. Good stuff, but it took a minute.