Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon (NAS)

Sweet vanilla on the nose. Palate and finish, there’s lots of heat. More than I’d expect for 100 proof. Some nuttiness in there as well. Some sweetness too. Not bad but not one I’ll seek out.

Alas I am at the bottom of this bottle, I’ve enjoyed it so much I felt it necessary to provide an update to my original review from a couple weeks ago. I was preoccupied and impatient with my initial review. I opened up this bottle and sat down to watch the baseball All-Star game, this is not the bottle for that, it deserves your attention. I said it was a Beam clone, it’s anything but that. This one is a full-fledged member of the Beam family that branches off beautifully. Pour this one out and let it rest, if you’re patient it will open up to you. Although this isn’t overly complex it is a multifaceted bourbon that has a lot more there than you’d expect. Yes you get all the classic Beam peanutty and vanilla undertones, but there is far more oak and earthiness here with black ground pepper. I thought I was the only one detecting cherries in the mix until @NealtheDeal made the same observation. The finish is warm and zippy, not hot with a burning bite. I really enjoyed this, I don’t think it gets the recognition it deserves and at $30 it’ll be in my rotation... after I check out some of the other Knob Creek offerings. @BeppeCovfefe suggested their 9 yr Single Barrel... challenge happily accepted.