dhsilv2
Knob Creek 12 Year Cask Strength Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
November 8, 2020 (edited March 27, 2021)
Once again I don't get how I'm the first to add this but here we go.
Nose - Rich caramel, oak, sweet sweet notes all over this. French vanilla, cherry, even some gummy candies. It's a sweet sweet beam profile. Yeah there's a touch of that dusty oak, but I"m not getting a nutty profile yet.
Taste - This is one to unwind. There's a mess of fruits, nuts, oak, caramel, but they're all so tightly packed and it's hard to deal with all of it at once. Some chocolates are starting to come out too. This is a hot one, it's way hotter than any normal single barrel I've had. I add a few drops of water and the oak complexity comes out. Really interesting flavors and profile coming out.
Well, I'm once again just floored by the quality that Knob creek CAN do, but I'm also worried I'll once again hear horror stories of bad bottles (my first 12 year non CS sucked).
Still this bottle is a 3.25, this is contending with ECBP, Stagg Jr, and the likes.
One last note, the proof came in at 120.5 which has me thinking, did they use a bunch of under proofed barrels that couldn't make it to 120 and then used a few higher proof ones to balance it? Now my experience with knob, I've gotten to do some picks and to be fair most of their barrels come in JUST a hair over 120, but to be THIS just a hair over with a blend. I wonder if they used some that lost proof and I think that might be why this is so good.
90.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington man, I hated the knob 25th and I was ok with the knob 2001. I got one good and one bad 12 year regular. But the 15 year (i know issues) and then this...they might be 2 of my top 10 bourbons of 2020. Oh and I've now as confirmed as I can get confirmed, jim beam 15 year LOWER proof CS whisky is being sold off to the little guys and some of those blendings are EPIC, and not too terribly priced (I got one for 130, review up).
@ContemplativeFox no batch indications. It is a LE but my guess is over 100k bottles, you won't struggle to find this. On shelves everywhere by me. I hope this one is consistent, cause I absolutely love it. Complex yet straight forward. @Ctrexman if you love books because of the peanut butter notes, maybe not going to do it for you. But this does EVERYTHING else bookers does but adds more to the finish, more to the sweetness, more complexity, transitions, etc. But it's not one of those blends of Kentucky Owl or Old Carter where you almost want to ask a friend who they're tasting because they threw so much at you.
I now see that this is a limited release :(
Sounds like classic Beam quality control issues, but it worked out for this batch! I'll have to see if I can find one (and find space on my shelf). Is there any sort of batch indication on the bottle?
This sounds great. I really liked the Knob SBreserve so imaging this is a couple notches better. As far as Bookers goes I personally love it. Straitforward blast of some of my favorite boubon flavors
@dhsilv2 I wanted so badly to not like this... but shelf space and wallet be damned!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington this is a lambo the bookers is a turbo charged camry. That said I've never found bookers to be complex or interesting. Bold, big, full bodied sure. A few really intense flavors but not full flavored. I have always felt bookers was young, not in the alcohol is strong than the barrel way but in this is not that complex way. I'll put it another way. I can add a LOT of water and take bookers and this knob down to 20% alcohol. I'll find nice flavors in the Knob. I won't find anything interesting in the bookers. I know that's not how we drink them but it's just the illistate that there's far mroe going on here than any bookers I've had. To be frank, I might have to blind this with a booker 30th, but I'm pretty sure the bookers 30th's higher oak content would be too easy to notice and it's way more peanuty. Odds are the 30th wins but I'm not 100% sure. And 9 year bookers? OK I can't comment there. I've only had recent bookers for the most part, which are all barely 6 years sadly, so maybe a 9 year might work better.
@dhsilv2 how would you say this compares to Bookers? Beam mashbill, roughly the same price and proof, 12 vs 6-9 years... like a tricked out camaro vs a tricked out vette? That said Bookers never seemed to contend with ECBP and Stagg Jr but tended to be a league ahead of most KC for me.
I might move this up, it's in the ECBP debate.