Knob Creek 9 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Oak, vanilla, caramel.

Not as full bodied as I hope and a touch one dimensional. Maybe the bottle will open up a bit. We'll see

**MOVING MY REVIEW SINCE THEY CREATED A NEW ENTRY** THE AGE STATEMENT IS BACK!! Picked up a bottle of the new Age Stated version of KC Small Batch tonight and decided to test it head to head with the NAS version (I was gifted a couple 375s over the holidays). KC 9YR COLOR: New Penny (Identical) NOSE: Spice. Hay. Old Oak. Fall Spice. Peanut Shell. Light Citrus. A general "gooey" Sweetness. NEAT: Medium Mouthfeel. Vanilla. Oak. Caramel. Cola. A building Pleasant Heat. Long'ish Finish with Oak and Vanilla coating the palate. SPLASH: Made this all Oak and Vanilla. RATING: 4 KC NAS COLOR: New Penny (Identical) NOSE: Spice. Hint of Floral. Light Hay, Citrus. Dry Roast Peanut. NEAT: Thin to Medium Mouthfeel. HOT. Vanilla. Peanut. Spicy Oak. An Immediate Heat. Long Spicy Finish with Pepper, Oak, and Peanut Coating. SPLASH: Tamed a lot of the heat. Becomes mostly Peanut and Oak. RATING: 3.5 Verdict: The NAS had an immediate prickly heat, while the 9 year had a pleasant building heat. The extra age obviously helps. Smooths out some of the rough edges and reduces the signature Beam peanut funk as well. Kudos to Beam for bringing the Age Statement back. My final rating is for the 9YR. It is between a 3.75 and 4, but I'll round up.

Dusty nose with a layer or two of complexity. Nice on the palate with a rounded feel, pleasant sweetness, and just a hint of spice. Medium long caramel finish. Mmmmm.

5/16/2020 Nose: Caramel, oak, cherry Pallet: oily mouth feel, spice, strong oak, long finish