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Knob Creek Single Barrel 90/100
Bourbon/Whiskey Reviews

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Review

By on 18 Comments
Knob Creek Single Barrel 90/100

Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve

90 Excellent

The flavors of the bourbon mixed with the spicy finish are a welcome addition to the Knob Creek line, and the promise of finding this regularly on shelves at under $50 is exciting.

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What it is:

Photo Courtesy of Jim Beam Brands

Photo Courtesy of Jim Beam Brands

Knob Creek has, for some years now, been a staple of many bourbon diets. The entry level offering to Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection, Knob Creek offers good flavors, 100 proof, and very good value for a top-shelf bourbon. It’s been the mainstay of my own bourbon shelf for the past several years. So it was not with a small amount of excitement and not without some pretty high expectations that I got to try the Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. I found this at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse gift shop for $47.99 after touring the distillery, but it should be in stores already.

Unlike the standard Knob Creek, the Single Barrel Reserve is bottled from a single barrel of Knob Creek as opposed to blending multiple barrels together into a batch before bottling. This can lead to slight nuanced differences from one bottle to the next, adding some variety between bottlings due to the conditions of the location in each warehouse in which the individual barrels are aged.

The Single Barrel Reserve, like its standard sibling, is aged 9 years. Unlike the standard, however, the Single Barrel Reserve clocks in at 120 proof (60% alcohol).

Aroma/Taste:

This bourbon is very dark, with copper and amber tones throughout. On the nose, there are extremely strong hints of caramel and smoke with a creamy vanilla undertone. It begs to be tried neat, so that’s what I did. The first finger pour produced an initial nutty flavor that developed vanilla notes on the middle of the tongue, and turned to a spicy and surprising cinnamon flavor on the back of the tongue. It finished long, with just enough burn, and the cinnamon seemed to linger long after.

For taste #2, I tried it over filtered ice. Surprisingly, this high proof bourbon does better neat. Initially, I liked the juxtaposition of cold bourbon with a hot-spicy finish. But as the ice melted a bit, the water actually dulled the cinnamon notes just a touch. That spiciness on the finish is where this bourbon truly shines, so I recommend drinking this neat despite its 120 proof.

Synopsis:

The folks at Jim Beam have hit a homerun here. The flavors of the bourbon mixed with the spicy finish are a welcome addition to the Knob Creek line, and the promise of finding this regularly on shelves at under $50 is exciting. The only negative I can find in this bourbon is that it will make it extremely tough to go back to the standard Knob Creek on an everyday basis.

ModernThirst.com Score: 90 out of 100 points

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About Author

Bill is the Co-Founder, Editor-in Chief, and official Bourbon-o-Phile for ModernThirst.com, and Founder and Chief Blending Officer for Four Gate Whiskey Company. He is a native of Louisville, KY in the heart of Bourbon Country. He attended the University of Kentucky in the mid to late 1990s. He has also been published on Liquor.com. He has conducted various bourbon and whiskey tastings in cities across the country, and consulted for multiple national labels. He is married with two daughters, and lives in east Louisville. You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter @BillStraub and email him at Bill@ModernThirst.com.

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18 Comments

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  2. Matt Gates on

    Just tried the barrel number 597 selected by DEP’s. Agree with your review. Long cinnamon finish! I also agree that ice makes it a little less complex, but I actually like it better that way, mostly because that is how I normally enjoy my bourbon. I think i will try it with stainless whiskey ‘stones’ next time.

    Reply

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  8. Alan Wagner on

    Does anyone have a phone number to the Knob Creek distillery? I have a lable discrepancy question. Thanks

    Reply
  9. Justin H on

    I’m just a novice bourbon drinker and feel somewhat not worthy. This bourbon being drinkable at 120 Proof is a feat on it’s own. It doesn’t burn your mouth but rather hot and spicy. I really enjoy it neat . This pre – prohibition strength whiskey separates the men from the boys . I am going to try it along side the Knob Creek small batch as well for contrast.

    Reply
    • Bill on

      Hi Justin, thanks for commenting!

      If you enjoy whiskey, you’re certainly worthy! The Knob Creek Single Barrel bottles tend to vary greatly from barrel to barrel, since they’re obviously single barrel releases, and I happen to think they’re some of the best value purchases on the market today. Cheers!

      Reply
  10. Lisa Marston on

    I have been given a bottle of Knob Creek Single Barrel bourbon and it has a silver label on it, “Barrel #4112 Hand Selected by Fred Noe All Hallow’s Eve 15 YR Old”. What can you tell me about this?

    Reply

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