Knob Creek 9yo
Color: Amber +2
ABV: 50%
Aroma Neat:
Sweet Corn, Cooked Grains (oatmeal), Golden Syrup, Pine Tar, Cola/Root Beer, Dutch Chocolate, Banana, Sawdust/Must, Rye Spice, Gingerbread (slightly), Boiled Fruits.
Pretty gentle nose overall. Well rounded and interesting.
Aroma Water:
Apple Crumble, Vanilla, Grape Soda, Cola, Sourdough Bread, Cinnamon, Mexican Chocolate, Ground Pepper (slightly), Cream Soda.
Very tame with water. Maybe a little too subtle, but there are a some very nice, though subdued, fruit notes.
Taste Neat:
Oak, Stale Ash, Barrel Char, Pine Tar, Dusty Rye, Pink Peppercorn, Fresh Ginger, Cinnamon & Honey (slightly), Mexican Chocolate.
Ashy and a little stale, which is how I find most Beam products. Those notes may sound negative, but it's actually an enjoyable experience. The mouthfeel is reasonably gentle too, even at 50% ABV.
Taste Water:
Honey, Stale Ash, Dusty Rye Spice, Rich Oak/Sap, Clove, Pepper, Chocolate/Cola, Grapefruit Pith (slightly), Seasoned Oak, Char.
Spicy and rye-forward. Handles water better than the nose. Really can't complain, it's good whisky! Makes me want to try the Knob Creek Rye!
Finish:
Ashy Barrel Char, Cardboard, Citrus Pith, Clove/Peppercorn.
Trademark Beam dry staleness. The dryness makes for a refreshing finish.
Conclusion:
Easygoing, but reasonably articulate nose.
Very tasty spicy/cola palate. Best with some water.
Effervescent and crisp finish.
Rating: 84/100
Girlfriend Rating: 86/100
I included the new Girlfriend Rating category, because I'd like to include a female perspective on this blog. Basically, I have my beautiful and whisky-loving girlfriend help me review the whisky. Then we come up with numerical marks independently. It looks like Knob Creek is well liked by both of us!
Nine years can be a pretty extreme age for bourbon, under certain circumstances. Fortunately, I found this whisky to be well balanced and quite far from begin too woody.
Josh
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