Knob Creek Single Barrel Select Rye

Store pick from Liquor Express in Tempe, AZ. On the nose getting a lot of banana and clove; reminiscent of a good Hefeweizen beer. Delving deeper we find dill, cooking herbs (sage? thyme?), movie theater butter, and snickerdoodle cookie. The level of ethanol in the nose is zero; something I wasn't sure possible at 115 proof so definitely extra points for that. On the palate, opens with rich liquid snickerdoodle, followed by a nice slow transition to a slightly herbal mid-palate, leading to a long and peppery finish. The sticky sweetness remains present underneath as it changes, making for a nice smooth ride instead of a jarring turn. I dig the journey. Mouthfeel is slick and buttery. Fits the flavor and proof perfectly. A definite winner. At $50, I feel I got what I paid for. The sweetness makes it more of a bourbon lovers rye. Those looking for a dill bomb or herb garden might want to look elsewhere. My area seems to be swimming in store picks for this expression so eager to try some other picks.

750 ml 6 year old batch bottle from LeNell’s Beverage Boutique. Nice peppery strong nose. Front of the palate is nice and hot at 115 proof, but it has a very nice quick fade down to a delicious finish.

"Lincoln Co ABC pick. By far, one of my favorite ryes, much better even than the KC Cask Strength ryes"

Roger Wilco barrel. Really nice rye

Nose: Herbaceous and vegetal, thyme, basil and green bell peppers. Dill, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla - classic rye notes, though not as much dill as you'd think. Charred oak. Sugar. Tart apples. Leather. This definitely is a rye, but the smell is dryer than many others I've had. Leans into some unique territory. Palate: Brown sugar, black pepper, tea, cinnamon candy (think Red Hots). Medium-low tannin, barrel bitter. The herbaceous and vegetal notes from the nose show up, but are behind this dusty, almost dry veil. The mouthfeel is effervescent. Solid evolution up to and through the finish where the barrel bitter sticks around and the rest of the flavors slowly disappear from the base on up - there's the green bell pepper, dried basil, thyme, and oregano. Other notes: This is from barrel #7408 by and for BevMo. This is definitely something different. I wouldn't suggest this to somebody as being indicative of what you want from a rye, but if you're familiar with the style this might be an interesting break from the norm. It definitely drinks "hot" but that's never been a bad thing in my opinion. Just another sensation to play with. I thoroughly enjoy this and am glad to add it to my collection.