"Knob Creek, a 9 year old bourbon hailing from Kentucky produced by Beam Suntory. Got this bottle as a secret Santa gift. Sampled 2/2/2016 with 2 teaspoons of water in a Glencairn spirits nosing glass. Aroma - Incredibly hot and nippy, burns the nose and dries the throat, even with 2 teaspoons of water. light vanilla, dust and butter. Flavor - Flat, one-dimensional. All I'm tasting is wood and light sweetness in the form of vanilla. Finishes with a medium long lingering flavor and a long lasting burn. Final score : 1 / 5, my least favorite bourbon and possibly whiskey entirely on my shelf. For how high the ABV is, I expected much better and more complex flavor, but it would seem all the high ABV does is make the product very hot and nippy in a way that water won't seem to tame without drowning it. Will not be purchasing, glad I didn't spend money on this."