Knob Creek Cask Strength Straight Rye (Batch 2)

From Warehouse A per the bottle. OK, thanks. Neat in Glencairn at home. Nose has a grainy spice quality, mild green apple peel, peanut shells, slightly dusty at the end, with the heat starting to rear its head. Taste has an almost medicinal quality to it, with the rye spice and ethanol showing dominance over some lite grains and nuttiness. Lingering heat with some spicy notes. Like Knob Creek on steroids, which I suppose is precisely the point and to be expected. I like it, but don't love it, and frankly foresee having this bottle for a year or two, as it is far from an easy sipper. 3/27/2020

127 proof release. A primarily fruit forward nose with orange zest, peach, and apple along with some nutmeg, graham cracker and savory buttered corn. A faint hint of ethanol underneath, but hey it’s 127 proof, what do you want? Strangely absent are the candied sugar and herbal notes found in many other ryes. On the palate things get much more interesting; opens with the orange zest from the nose which becomes more of an orange peel, some charred meat, pecans, and barely sweet British scone, leading to hot cinnamon bears candy in the mid-palate. Finishes with cracked black peppercorn and mature oak tannin before re-finishing again with sort of a sweet cream note. The whole experience has a rich, savory quality and the flavors blend from one another seamlessly. A great ride. Mouthfeel is of medium density and a little on the grainy side. Overall very enjoyable expression of a high proof “Kentucky Rye”. Definitely closer to a high rye bourbon. Those looking for a more herbal profile should look elsewhere. At $64, it’s hard to call this a “great value” but certainly you get what you pay for here.

I have no idea what scottr is on or why he's rated twice but i'm with the other reviewers if it's the same batch i'm tasting 21b-20 this is fantastic stuff. Man from the low to the high but still reasonably priced end Knob Creek make great stuff. It has that bourony profile I'm not a huge fan these days but it executes so well I can't give it any less than a 4.25 it'd be a 4.5 or higher if I enjoyed the type of flavor profile. Straight pour and drink it went down so so smoothly without a drop of water. This thing is so bulletproof adding a liberal helping of water seemed to make zero difference to either the flavor and amazingly how strong it tasted. It tasted just the same without it. Thanks once again to @LeeEvolved

So, apparently there are couple people on here trying to scare people off this one. Having tasted it myself, I can understand that. I'd want more for myself at this price point as well.... From start to finish this is an impressive, rich, balanced, and delicious pour. The nose is dominated by caramel delights, with red apple, wrapped in rye spice notes and a hint of herbal tea. A sip reveals a rich, intense, creamy mouthfeel before the rye spice takes over. Sweet caramel corn on entry quickly giving way and balancing an intense (but manageable) punchy rye/black pepper spice. The finish starts with a warm KY hug, giving way to barrel spice/char and honey. Lingers long and sweet, begging for another sip.

With the addition of one small ice cube, I find this to be an almost perfect Rye. Smooth but not over sweet, with a hint of caramel and cherries and a tiny bit of burnt wood, and the perfect level of heat on the back of the throat that turns into a very nice warmth at the top of the chest. A terrific entry point for the less-sweet side of the Rye spectrum.

Doesn’t compare to last years. It’s ok to leave this one on the shelf and buy that single barrel store pick instead, saving $15 to $20 to boot.