Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon (NAS)

Nose - oak, leather, brown and powdered sugar, caramel, vanilla, peanut, muted cinnamon, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - peanut, pepper, burnt caramel, brown sugar, corn, vanilla, cinnamon, fairly strong ethanol burn, finishing long with mild sweet corn and alcohol flavors. Pretty good, but the 120 proof single barrel expression is definitely better.

Starts out sort of harsh right when you first pour it. Nothing but alcohol and roasted peanuts. If you give it 10 or so minutes in the glass, it will change completely and turn into cherry, vanilla, and licorice - more typical bourbon stuff. But it doesn’t always end up that way, just depends on the day. So the end result is typically kind of nice, but it’s pretty fussy if you’re determined to enjoy it neat. Considering there’s now a range of more premium KC options at a decent price, the entry-level option seems less and less appealing. Bonus: it gives a good vanilla flavor if you use it in cocktails.