Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye

This was a fantastic Rye and hit on so many solid notes one seeks in a SiB Rye. This had ample proof, along with plenty of spice. This ranks up there with some of my favorites but still isn’t WFE 4yr Rye.

The nose is complex with notes of cinnamon and cloves in the spice profile. There is a sweet hint of maple and vanilla followed by just the lightest notes of a salty brine. The whiskey has a spicy bite that allows the brine to surface. There is a sweet undercurrent of vanilla and burnt spice throughout the drink that transitions to brine and wood smoke in the finish. The whiskey settles in the chest with the distinct glow of a long, slow burn. Its scent rises in the throat as notes of cinnamon and maple that makes for a very pleasant experience. Extremely late in the finish, after even the glow has dissipated, it leaves the mouth with a distinct peppery flavor.

Wonderful nose: maple sweetness. Very nice balance of that sweetness and pepper. Finish slowly fades out, leaving a little spicy reminder that is excellent.

Got this as a store pick (obviously), aged around 5.5 years. Got to taste it first and thought it easily warranted the $42 price point to pull the trigger. A damp hay spice in the front melts away into a sweeter, smoother finish with floral notes drifting in and out. To me, the Knob Creek brand is reliably good (and available) and one of the best values out there in the Bourbon game. Keep it up Beam...keep it up

Probably my favorite rye so far