Drink of the Month - JULY 2012 - Knob Creek

[Walter Sobchak]

Welcome to The B&B Speakeasy Drink of the Month for July 2012!


KNOB CREEK

Small Batch - Aged Nine Years

BOURBON






For this special Independence Day edition of B&B's DOTM I thought it would be nice to pick something uniquely American.

I can think of nothing more American than a good, solid bourbon.

Knob Creek is indeed a good, solid bourbon.

Many of us who frequent The Speakeasy are either scotch men or bourbon men. I happen to be both. As a Steward here I try to not to give special attention to these whiskies when coming up with DOTM selections. We don't want the DOTM to turn into the WOTM. However, I noticed something when perusing possible selections earlier this week. According to my count, B&B has only featured three bourbons since the SOTM/DOTM began - Four Roses, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Elijah Craig 12yr. Three beauties, but I'm sure we can all agree it's high time to get another bourbon on this page.

For those who aren't familiar with Knob Creek, it's one of the many Booker Noe creations, part of the Jim Beam family. It's marketed as a small batch bourbon, that is it's more complex and geared toward someone who truly appreciates a good pour. I've certainly found this to be true. Knob Creek gives a nice journey to the palate.

Don't be scared off by the fact that it's 100 proof, the alcohol content helps the flavor and Knob Creek is still smooth, although not completely tame. Did you know the lower proofed bourbons are mostly a modern construct because of taxes and other external factors? Back in "the day" a good bourbon would have been in the 108-114 proof range.

Knob Creek is a nice dark amber in the glass. The first sip may bring a little heat, but it settles down and delivers vanilla, maple, oak, and mild fruit tones. The finish is decently long and warm on the palate.

If you like bourbon and you haven't tried Knob Creek you're missing out. This is a good bourbon that's readily available all around our fair nation.

Enjoy!

[stobes21]

Good choice Jonathan. Knob Creek is available just about everywhere and is, as you say, a wonderful american whiskey. I went through my last bottle a year or so ago so I may need to pick this one up again. Those who are used to drinking 80 proof liquor should feel free to add a few drops of water to cut the alcohol and open up the whiskey a bit. I suspect after a few pours most people will come to appreciate the somewhat higher proof and drink it straight.

Now, let me first say that I almost always drink my bourbon straight. With a whiskey as good as Knob I hardly ever want to sully it with other stuff. But there is a time and a place for everything and there are several good cocktails that predominantly feature bourbon that would be good with Knob Creek. The old fashioned, mint julep, and whiskey sour all come to mind. I've linked to discussions of each that include recipes and tips for making them.

[Gruder]

An excellent bourbon, and one I haven't enjoyed in a while. I'll have to remedy that! Great pick, Jonathan!

[OldAF]

I'm not a big fan of the standard Beam offerings but I did try the Knob Creek Single Barrel (120 proof) and that was excellent. I may give this one a try.

[ackvil]

Good choice, Jonathan. I like it just below Rare Breed.

[FL shaver]

Just noticing this. My bottle is empty! Time for an Old Fashioned tonight, but it'll have to be Buffalo Trace...

[Walter Sobchak]

Good choice Jonathan. Knob Creek is available just about everywhere and is, as you say, a wonderful american whiskey. I went through my last bottle a year or so ago so I may need to pick this one up again. Those who are used to drinking 80 proof liquor should feel free to add a few drops of water to cut the alcohol and open up the whiskey a bit. I suspect after a few pours most people will come to appreciate the somewhat higher proof and drink it straight.

Now, let me first say that I almost always drink my bourbon straight. With a whiskey as good as Knob I hardly ever want to sully it with other stuff. But there is a time and a place for everything and there are several good cocktails that predominantly feature bourbon that would be good with Knob Creek. The old fashioned, mint julep, and whiskey sour all come to mind. I've linked to discussions of each that include recipes and tips for making them.

Thanks Luke!

Good on you for posting those cocktail links. I take my bourbon neat most of the time, but I can confirm that Knob Creek makes a very fine Old Fashioned. It has enough backbone to be distinctive among the other ingredients.

[Kazeryu]

I will have to see if I can find a small bottle of this one...