jsk
Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel Reserve
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
February 18, 2020 (edited March 28, 2020)
I was surprised to find some of this on a shelf in Louisiana, almost 3 years after release. This particular barrel was 13 years old, barreled on 2/26/2004 and bottled at 121.9 proof.
Nose - Cherries, apples, vanilla, oak, tobacco. Baking spices and leather. A very faint nutty note. Some dried varnish, but I wouldn't call the nose hot.
Palate - Brown sugar, sweet oak, dark chocolate. The Beam peanut note is there but it's very restrained. The fruit from the nose never really showed up on the palate. Sweetness lingers on the long finish, along with oak, cinnamon and baking spices.
A few drops of water killed the fruit notes on the nose, which was disappointing. It also amplified the sweetness and baking spices on the palate. But that nose was my favorite part so I prefer without the water.
What's interesting to me is just how different this is from other KC releases I've tried, especially the fruit on the nose was a really pleasant surprise.
119.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@jsk Agee completely on the JD. I get less banana in the higher proofed single barrel.
@jsk i missed the boat on the store picks for this. Those we’re about $100, and 15yrs old.
@Clarkebar thanks for the compliment! I second @BDanner ’s statement below—-holds true for me too
@BDanner I agree higher age seems to improve the peanut note in KC/Beam. I think proof may also play a part, I remember a podcast where the master distiller for JD was talking about how the banana note in their whiskey being stronger at lower proof due to more water to interact with the esters. I suspect it's similar for Beam peanut. The last time I had a Beam & Coke at a concert, I couldn't believe how strong the peanut flavor was, it was pretty gross.
@PBMichiganWolverine yeah, I guess $129 was considered pretty extreme in 2017 even though it's typical for releases today. The not-great reviews for KC 2001 the year before may have also muted interest.
@Clarkebar Thanks for the compliment! One reason I love it here is the wealth of folks who have forgotten more about spirits than I'll ever know. Learn something new almost every time I visit.
See, this is why I come here. Members like @BDanner and @PBMichiganWolverine, among many others, have such great experience and ability to describe what is what with whiskey...and why. At 67 I am such a newbie!
Great find and review! I think that time in the barrel really mutes the Beam "peanut note" which is why I prefer Beam stuff with as much age as possible.
This one really went under the radar. Not sure if that was by design, or error in marketing
That is why it pays to look. Great find. :-)