It's 2018 and my Knob Creek 120 Single Barrel review is woefully overdue and happily I have acquired one of the local "store barrels" of said dram to pass judgement on, complete with the Fred Noe signature tag on bottle, this 9 year single barrel stands ready to deliver the goods. Single barrel and barrel proof plus at 120, if you like Knob Creek standard 100 proof(green label) this is all that and so much more, yet unlike many limited releases, it is relatively easy to find. The standard Knob Creek nose, the LOADS of caramel, oak, vanilla and dank sugar sweetness all concentrated for your enjoyment are present and at full strength. This bottle is a great reminder of why single barrel(proof) is worth looking into for the bourbon aficionado. On the palate it is warm sweet and full of all the familiar flavor us bourbon advocates look for, smooth sweet heat and rich traditional bourbon notes are all present and accounted for, making this one of the best "easy to find on shelf" bottles you can go to with confidence it will be available. It may be a tempting assumption that the 120proof 9 year will be nothing more than a 20% increase in strength of the 100 proof. However this will not be the case, as the single barrel delivers a considerable "load" of flavor variation simply not found in the lesser proof bottle. A comparison not unlike that of Stagg Jr to the tall bottle of George T Stagg, where you get so much more (and of course pay for it) in the latter case. Adding a small snit of water will boost the oak and finish notes and enhance the already notable balance. Keeping in mind the small variance that is inherit in single barrel product, we should be reminded that proponents such as distiller.com allow us to all weigh in with our experience, and be glad we can! Thank god for bourbon and thank god for the Jim Beam Distillery. An easy 4.4 stars in product value.