Is there a term for when you become so overenthusiastic about the neck pour that you run out and buy another bottle, then time passes and you taste it again and think, yup, still good, but not quite what it was. That's been my experience with Knob 12. Pulled off the cap, poured myself a double, took a whiff, and I found myself overwhelmed with aromas of cocoa powder and cherry. And those are some of my favorite aromas to get from a bourbon. The only other time this has happened, by which I mean the neck pour followed by diminishment rather than augmentation by air, was Lot 40 Rye where over time the palate turned from something delectable to sweat socks. With the Knob 12, it's still a four star bourbon for me. At $60, this 12 year old whiskey is prime value, and I like it better than say, Eagle Rare 10, which is another prime age statement value whisky. It's just that, as time has passed that cocoa powder aroma has cooled, become muted, and been replaced by oak and leather. The cherry character has assumed a secondary quality and what I'm left with is a palate of vanilla, oak and peanut. It's rather dry whereas before it was sweet. I've never encountered a whisky where the character has changed quite so much over the course of the bottle being opened and still remained solid. I suppose what bothers me is that the neck pour had this tasting like a wheated bourbon like some of the Maker's special releases. And those tend to be my favorite bourbons. So it makes sense I'd go snatch up another bottle, especially as it's not super widely available and I can't image the price remaining $60 forever. After all, the Knob 15 went from $100 to $120 in the course of a year, and given how quickly prices are going up on good whiskies, I figure buy in bulk so I have it when I can no longer afford (or let's face it, no longer really want to pay) the exorbitant prices these companies get away with charging us. So there you have it, neck pour was probably 4.5 star for me here. Time has reduced it to a 4. But that's still pretty damn strong. This is in that highly recommended category for me. Oh, and I suppose I should point out in closing that a single ice cube in a shot of this brings the cherry back strong, so that's the way I prefer it now. But in the dog days of summer, that's the way I prefer most of my whiskey. So me and the Knob 12 here are simpatico in that sense.