MunsuLight
Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Reserve
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
April 14, 2021 (edited August 17, 2022)
Note that this is coming from a neck pour and we all know those are a little bit rougher on the edges (lack of oxydation) . Will update the rating in about 1 month.
Nose : First quick nosing , I smell the a lot of cinnamon and vanilla, with quite a bit of toasted oak (and some ethanol). On the second one, I feel a little bit of maple (faint), brown sugar and the typical Beam peanut brittle. Adding water, I smell a little bit of fruits (apple ? )
Palate : Oh boy this one hurts a little bit since it is my first 60ers in quite a long time (not alcohol burn). Once it settle down, I feel quite a lot of spice (pepper like) and oak at first (overwhelming), followed by some faint corn sweetness. Adding water really made it smoother. The spice is now mostly gone but it add to the oak and add to the sweetness, vanilla side of it
Finish : A quite long finish that "hugs" you with a lot of Oak , cinnamon and faint sweet notes
I was really hyped to taste this has it normally get a lot of praise, but I was dissapointed. It didnt felt really as balanced as I thought it would or complex enough. It felt over-oak-y, ultra spicy, without the amount of sweetness/vanilla to counterbalance it properly. The burn wasnt as strong as expected.
I really hope it will get better with time but at the moment I wouldnt recommend it for the price and would probably recommend the 9 years (Non single barrel version) since it like like 20$ less where I live. Adding water makes it more enjoyable, but makes it typical not unique bourbon
60.0
CAD
per
Bottle
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@MunsuLight Eagle Rare 10 is hard to beat when it comes to full flavor and low heat, especially if you can find it at MSRP
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I think it wasnt the proof that I really disliked.. It was the "peppery" and oak that felt overwhelming, plus a stingy feeling. Once I did let some air, (same when adding water) it went smoother (brown sugar, peanut brittle) but it wasnt as pleasant as let say an Eagle Rare 10. I will still give it another shot later.
Most Beam products punish you a bit with proof, but if you can get past that they tend to have a rich brown sugar sweetness and nuttiness. After the fire that is. Their single barrel Rye might get you more of the rich sweetness but no Beam product I've tried is overly complex.