u/thanksnah

Like many of us here, I have amassed enough of a collection to alternate between pride and shame at the sheer volume of delicious whiskey I’ve swaddled myself in. As a result, I’m challenging myself to write at least one review a week and post it here until I run out of whiskey or interesting things to say. The latter is definitely the odds-on favorite.

It’s weird to be getting close to 100 reviews here and realize I’ve never reviewed a Barrell Craft Spirits product. There was definitely a time when their specific blending and finishing practices, like with Dovetail and Seagrass, would have been the thing I was most excited to review. I still remember buying one of their batches (maybe 28 or 29? I still have the bottle somewhere - maybe a future review…) for around a hundred bucks and feeling like it was a really special and rare product. Perhaps the issue is that BCS’s model has become so normalized, and that particular corner of the NDP whiskey market so crowded (with Penelope, Rare Character, Dark Arts, etc), that Barrell no longer seems like such an anomaly and more like the rule.

Whatever the case, just this year BCS decided to join the cigar blend fray, and as my local store had it for a reasonable price, and the reviews for it had been glowing, I figured I’d take a chance. As a drinker who considers himself not the biggest fan of finished bourbon, I’m hoping the multiple additional barrels don’t overwhelm the bourbon underneath.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Barrell Cigar Blend Bourbon

Mashbill: not disclosed - a blend of bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana, so probably has some Barton (maybe 74/18/8?), 84/8/8 Dickel, and 75/21/4 MGP juice in it - although given the low overall rye of the blend they might be using the 36% rye MGP instead or as well.  

Technically 7.5 years old. It’s advertised as a blend of bourbons aged between 7.5 to 18 years (but with no accounting for the percent of the different ages in the blend - probably a good chance that the 18 year component is Dickel, though)

Proof: 111.2

MSRP: $85 but I found this one for 80.

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested for the time it takes to hunt for and book airline tickets.

NOSE: First notes are very fruity - a nice tart cherry along with a sweet peach. There’s some punchy oak, along with a kind of sour apple scent that’s suggestive of apple cider vinegar. Plenty of creamy vanilla pudding, along with a sweet cinnamon for a dulce de leche effect. There’s some nice citrusy lemon peel as well. Underneath all this is something savory but it’s hard to put my finger on - maybe sourdough starter?

PALATE: A bunch of sweet flavors hit the tongue together: maple syrup, drippy caramel, and an herbal-vanilla crème brûlée. There’s plenty of spice as well, with cinnamon and star anise, that combine with a fruitiness that is much darker here than on the nose: medjool dates. The finishing gets into the mix with some thicker, diverse flavors: I got notes of blackstrap molasses and heinz 57 steak sauce. The oak notes stay punchy, which suggests that the overall balance of the age is closer to 8 or 9 years, but there are some more mature flavors as well, like tobacco and a light leather.

FINISH: Starts with a real kick of spice - specifically cloves and black pepper - but then mellows out considerably. There’s a sweetish oak that mingles with strong tobacco and a light barrel char. Raisin sweetness lingers from the date flavors of the palate, joined by black pepper and earthy vanilla.

CONCLUSION: Very tasty and very interesting. It’s odd but as I was drinking it I had the thought that I couldn’t imagine anyone really hating it. The proof impact is not killer, and there’s enough sweetness to it, that bourbon beginners or non-enthusiasts would probably enjoy it. More experienced whiskey drinkers will have plenty of classic bourbon notes to seek out and identify, and more seasoned veterans have some of those mature notes (tobacco, leather, dates) that they tend to prefer. The main thing for me, though, was that the secondary barrels were present without being overwhelming; and that balance can be rare in bourbons with multiple finishes. I don’t know that I’ll be seeking out any more of these, but I’m happy to have my bottle and excited to share it with others.

RATING: 7 | Great | Well above average.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

Last week, because it’s a fairly well-known label that I have very little experience with (and I had the opportunity to try a few bottles from them), I reviewed some Joseph Magnus releases: my cigar blend review is here, and I reviewed the recent single barrel review here. Today I'm finishing up with one last Magnus bottle, so please share your experience with the brand in the comments if you’ve had any!

Murray Hill Club whiskey has always received a suspicious glare from me. Where I live, the price is always north of 100 dollars, and although I know and understand the interesting backstory (how blenders at Joseph Magnus recreated the flavors they found in an over-a-century-old unopened bottle of whiskey) it still seemed like a steep price to pay. Knowing that Nancy Fraley was involved was always an ameliorating factor, but overall it was a label I didn’t struggle to avoid. 

All that changed when I saw the blue flash of this label on the shelf next to the standard greys. I had heard rumors about the greatness of the special releases, but had never tried one (and never even remember seeing it on a bar menu). When I looked up the bottle I was shocked first to find that (at the time) it was 4 years old, but then also slightly disappointed to find that unlike the first two batches it was not finished in Pineau des Charentes barrels, but instead in Malt Whisky and Cider casks. I’m not the biggest fan of either of those fine beverages, but upon discovering that the store was willing to sell me the bottle for below MSRP, I felt almost obligated to take it home.

Now, having saved it for almost two years, I thought it was about time to open it up and share it with some friends. I’m hoping that (as always) Nancy Fraley knows better than me, and those cider and malt finishes don’t overwhelm all the classic well-aged MGP notes, and that the sum is more than its parts for this pour.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Joseph A. Magnus & Co. Murray Hill Club Special Release Batch #3

Mashbill: 60% Corn / 36% Rye / 4% Malted Barley 

Blend of bourbons aged between 10 and 20 years

Proof: 110

MSRP: Around $200 I think but secondary prices are much higher. This one I found sitting on a shelf for $155 (lucky me).

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested for the time it takes to contribute biased and uneducated opinions to a conversation on the future of AI.

NOSE: I’m immediately met by bright and tart apple notes that are tangy and vivid. There’s a subtle honey sweetness that blends with a creamy, herbal vanilla giving the sense of a really fancy breakfast parfait. This sense is only increased by the presence of toasted granola and raisin scents. There’s also very dark oak, joined by sweet and spicy cinnamon and ginger notes as well. 

PALATE: The malt impact shows up here with the flavor of extra-toasty Corn Pops, followed by the essence of a cinnamon-and-sugar-coated apple cider donut. Those apple flavors remain bright and tart, though, reaching up into my cheeks. Canned pear syrup follows, which combines with a number of spice notes (honeyed rye spice, cloves, cinnamon) to produce a nice impression of peach cobbler filling. There’s plenty of dark and robust notes as well with damp oak, thick maple syrup, and an earthy vanilla - all of which suggest that 20-year-old whiskey is doing some heavy lifting here. There’s also tobacco, a faint dark chocolate, and an even fainter (and interesting) smokiness.

FINISH: Long, but somewhat mellower than the palate overall. Of course a finish is always going to be more subdued than how it tastes on the tongue, but maybe because the palate is so big and brash it’s more noticeable here. Deep and robust oak takes center stage here, along with dark flavors of cigar wrapper and chocolate. Some cinnamon and rye spice provides a little heat, but not much. That herbal and earthy vanilla hangs around, and a caramel apple sweetness lingers in the background.

CONCLUSION: Instant favorite. I really hemmed and hawed about this bottle because it was cheaper than it should have been but it still wasn’t cheap, and the two finishes really seemed like they were diametrically opposed to my usual preferred taste profile. Ultimately I bought this bottle because I knew it was unique, that I wouldn’t get a second chance to buy one at the price, and that people I know and love would want to try it. But man, oh man am I glad I did. The fact that the orchard flavors are bright and hit up in the cheeks, rather than syrupy, really makes this a unique experience, and that the single malt finishing seems to impart some of those crispy, crunchy sweet flavors without overpowering with graininess is really spectacular. Be warned: this is definitely a unique profile and it’s quite possible it won’t do for you what it does for me - but after this experience I would go out of my way to get a taste of any of these special releases.

RATING: 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

This week, because it’s a fairly well-known label that I have very little experience with (and I had the opportunity to try a few bottles from them), I’m going to be reviewing some Joseph Magnus releases. Please check out my cigar blend review here, and share your experience with the brand in the comments if you’ve had any!

Last year Joseph Magnus re-introduced their private barrel program with a selection of ten-year-old barrels of high-rye MGP juice that had been aged for their entire duration in medium-toast Seguin Moreau barrels. None of the stores in my area carried them, and I was unsuccessful in purchasing one from either of the online retailers that carried them for a reasonable price, as they sold out far too quickly. Luckily a friend of mine picked up a bottle online and was willing to exchange a few pours, even though I made him help me move furniture in the process. I’m looking for some of that Classic Bourbon Profile MGP is known for, along with some nice spice notes from the high rye, and maybe even some trace of the unique aging process this juice underwent.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Joseph A. Magnus & Co. Private Cask

Mashbill: 60% Corn / 36% Rye / 4% Malted Barley 

Aged 10 years

Proof: 108.44

MSRP: $125 but I’m not sure what my friend paid - probably more with shipping.

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested for the time it takes to move a kid’s dresser from the attic back into their bedroom.

NOSE: Lots of oak, brown sugar, vanilla, and cherry - all of the Classic Bourbon Profile notes I’ve come to expect from well-aged MGP. But there are deeper and more robust scents as well, with raisin and plum pudding, as well as a very dark and sweet cherry cola. A thick buttercream frosting note pairs with peach and cinnamon spice to give the impression of fruity dulce de leche. Really decadent.

PALATE: I don’t normally note this, but this pour has a beautifully thick and oily mouthfeel, leading into rich flavors of cherry cola, punchy oak and creamy vanilla frosting. Combined with a subtle graham cracker note, there’s a kind of slightly-melted vanilla ice cream cone flavor that develops. Rye spice is very subdued, but cinnamon and nutmeg are both stronger here than on the nose. Those raisin and plum pudding notes from the nose are also present here with a thick and sticky stewed fruit flavor. At the back end the oily mouthfeel transforms into a kind of savory nuttiness that honest to goodness tasted like pan-fried water chestnuts. 

FINISH: Long and mellow - with predominantly cinnamon spice and a robust oak. There is a slow bloom of allspice heat but it is not overpowering. Caramel sweetness lingers along with darker notes of tobacco and baking chocolate. Very light barrel char as well. 

CONCLUSION: Really amazing. I was surprised by how much I liked this - I went in definitely expecting something great, since I trust Nancy Fraley and I trust 10-year-old high-rye MGP, but I think it’s safe to say this is above and beyond. The oak flavors here walk the line between the punchy and bright qualities I expect from something 7-8 years old, and those deep, mellow characteristics that come from longer aging. I wonder how much the cooperage contributed to the uniqueness of the oak flavors they acquired in this barrel. Additionally the whiskey is not finished but you could have fooled me; given those darker raisin and savory notes throughout I thought for sure this would have a cognac or armagnac barrel involved at some point. Of course as a single barrel your milage will vary with these, but if you see one in your area I wouldn’t hesitate to snatch it up at MSRP.

RATING: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

This week, because it’s a fairly well-known label that I have very little experience with (and I had the opportunity to try a few bottles from them), I’m going to be reviewing some Joseph Magnus releases. Please share your experience with the brand if you’ve had any!

Joseph Magnus was a nineteenth-century whiskey magnate who produced Murray Hill Club bourbon in Cincinnati up until prohibition. As the story goes, one of his descendants discovered a century-old unopened bottle of his whiskey and set about attempting to reproduce its flavors in the present day. All that is fine and good, but it’s with the introduction of Magnus master blender Nancy Fraley—who I believe was at least a part of the original effort to reproduce the Murray Hill Club flavors—where things get interesting. Fraley, for those who are unaware, is not only the brains behind the Magnus operation, but also author of some of the most interesting writing on whiskey blending you could ever want to read. She has quite a few posts here on Reddit (username is Whiskeyblender, which is fitting), and if you have an interest at all in how whiskey blending works I can’t recommend enough browsing through her comment history. She is responsible not only for armagnac finishing and cigar blends in bourbon, but also for concepts borrowed from her experience with cognac and brandy, such as creating a coupe mere (or mother batch) from which to produce multiple batches of finished whiskey, and the process of réduction lente, or the slow reduction of proof through the long-term addition of small amounts of water to reduce shock and maintain fats in the blend. However, my reductive summary can’t do justice to what you can learn from her, so I really recommend seeking out her writing if you are interested (also a nice video on this page from Still Austin, where she has served as master blender, in which she explains a lot about her process, and also plays the bass).

It was reading how she described making cigar blends that first made me interested in trying the Magnus version, but where I live it can be hard to find one without a significant markup. Because of this I had only ever tried it at a bar, and didn’t take the time to write down notes and can’t even remember what batch it was. A friend of mine had a fresh bottle and agreed to open it up and share a few pours with me recently, the kindness of which I repaid with a few pours from my own collection. I’m hopeful for that balance of sweet, spicy and savory that the brand is famous for, and maybe some unique, batch-specific flavors as well.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Joseph A. Magnus & Co. Cigar Blend Bourbon

Mashbill: Not totally sure but I think it’s a blend of 9-year-old 60% Corn / 36% Rye / 4% Malted Barley and 20-year-old 75% Corn / 21% Rye / 4% Malted Barley MGP bourbons

Technically aged 9 years, but see above

Proof: 109.44

MSRP: I think around $190 - not sure what my friend paid

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested long enough to swap recent cute photos of kids.

NOSE: I’m immediately met with bright fruits - peach but also a lighter pear - that transform over time into a dark raisin sweetness. There’s a dark, sticky caramel that reminds me of the kind that you’ll find on a good pecan roll. Deep oak and a heavy, earthy vanilla combine with a tangy and savory dessert wine note. There’s light and not overpowering leather and tobacco providing a little contrast, as well as a sweet powdered sugar note. There’s also a nice, savory roasted chestnut. Very appetizing so far.

PALATE: My first thought about it was that, although it’s definitely a sweet bourbon, it’s not overly sweet, as there’s a significant savory (almost umami) component to it. The pecan bun topping from the nose becomes the whole package here, with dark caramel, buttery pecan nuttiness and a chewy rye spice. On that note, cinnamon and nutmeg along with molasses and oak produce a lovely spice cake impression. The bitterness here has more pipe tobacco characteristics than leather, but there’s also semisweet chocolate flavors as well. In spite of all these dark notes, there’s surprisingly bright raspberry and blackberry notes, along with a thick vanilla custard.

FINISH: Long and mellow, with sweet oak and cinnamon as the primary flavors. That rich, dark caramel sweetness continues here, married a little bit with vanilla. More leather here than anywhere else, with some lingering tobacco and very light chocolate notes as well. The savory flavors keep coming as well, with a red wine reduction essence that hangs around for a while.

 
CONCLUSION: This is more or less exactly the experience I’m looking for from a sweeter whiskey. Even though my notes are full of descriptions of sweeter flavors, there was a constant balance with bitter and savory notes that prevented me from ever feeling like I was drinking syrup. Of particular note are those savory flavors and scents; the rich, nutty, and umami notes are as much a signature of this pour to me as the caramel, chocolate, and fruit. I’m left with a burning curiosity over how this would change if I were working a nice stick along with it, although I’m technically not supposed to enjoy cigars anymore. However you choose to accompany it, it is definitely a special occasion pour to share with excellent friends and only top-tier relatives.

RATING: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

Like many of us here, I have amassed enough of a collection to alternate between pride and shame at the sheer volume of delicious whiskey I’ve swaddled myself in. As a result, I’m challenging myself to write at least one review a week and post it here until I run out of whiskey or interesting things to say. The latter is definitely the odds-on favorite.

I covered it before when I reviewed the Remus Repeal IX, but I’ve always had an unfair prejudice against premium MGP offerings, which especially doesn’t make sense when you consider how often I am swayed by fancy NDP bottlings of the same juice. Therefore, when I first saw this bottle show up on local shelves with a price hovering between 250 and 300 dollars, I barely paid it any mind. Apparently many had the same response, because by the time I was finally convinced to try this bottle, it was down to $120. Before opening the bottle, I was hoping for all of those Classic Bourbon Profile flavors I expect from well-aged MGP juice to be kicked up a notch, and that the low proof didn’t foretell a lack of pizazz in the flavors. Did those Ross & Squibb wizards save the best barrels for themselves?

TALE OF THE TAPE

George Remus Gatsby Reserve 15 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey (2023)

Mashbill: Blend of the standard (75% Corn / 21% Rye / 4% Malted Barley) and high rye (60% Corn / 36% Rye / 4% Malted Barley) MGP bourbons

Aged 15 years

Proof: 98.1

MSRP: $250 I think, but they sell for much less.

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested long enough to make and pack a third-grader’s lunch.

(Side note: I'm reaching the absolute limit of my pathetic drawing skills and between this review and the ones coming next week, I've realized that I need to find bottles with less detailed labels to review. I think I'm only going to review Frank August releases from here on out.)

NOSE: Right off the bat the age shows up, with deep oak, pipe tobacco and dark (almost burnt) caramel notes. There’s some vanilla as well, but perhaps not as much as you would expect on an MGP bourbon. Some spice shows up next, with light cinnamon scents and a tempered rye spice. The sweet notes really blend with those robust characteristics of a 15-year-old bourbon, with scents of maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, and even a kind of light pine sap. The nose is not what I would call fruity, but there are moments where a dark cherry or even a grape note will poke through.

PALATE: No bait and switch here, with dark and robust oak paired with burnt brown sugar as the first flavors off the sip. These settle slightly into a nice spiciness in the mid palate, with a more intense cinnamon and allspice presence than was on the nose, along with a lightly honeyed rye spice. There’s a faint caramel sweetness along with a very light cherry, but the sweetness in general is far more subtle, floating under more of those robust notes like cigar wrapper, espresso bean, and even toasted bread crust. At the very end of the palate there was an odd spice element that I struggled to identify - it definitely had star anise, but at times it would remind me of five-spice.

FINISH: Medium and surprisingly mellow. The oak is somewhat subdued compared to the nose and palate, and it mixes well with a light caramel sweetness. Both the rye spice and cinnamon flavors are also tamer here, and with the sweet notes make something like a nice spiced rum cake essence. Bitter notes of leather, tobacco, and barrel char abound, along with the most vanilla impact anywhere in the drink.

CONCLUSION: This one was tasty but shockingly hard to rate. I’m not going to lie and say that outside factors like price and availability don’t weigh into my ratings—one of the amazing things about a bottle like a George T Stagg is that it can actually taste worthy of its pricetag. If this bottle were regularly available for around a hundred dollars, I wouldn’t fret at all over how to rate it. But seeing secondary prices still hovering around 200 dollars gives me pause.

The bottom line is that it’s an excellent example of a well-aged bourbon, but it’s not the best example. When I poured a glen for a friend who does not drink a lot of bourbon, he responded to his first sip with “this s— is dank!” But when I shared it with friends who are more bourbon familiar, their responses were positive but less enthusiastic. I came to the conclusion that this is the bottom of what I would consider excellent - it still has the power to blow some socks off, as my first friend’s response demonstrates - just don’t be surprised if you find yours firmly on your feet as you sip it.

RATING: 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

Like many of us here, I have amassed enough of a collection to alternate between pride and shame at the sheer volume of delicious whiskey I’ve swaddled myself in. As a result, I’m challenging myself to write at least one review a week and post it here until I run out of whiskey or interesting things to say. The latter is definitely the odds-on favorite.

I knew absolutely nothing about this bottle when a friend brought it over for a bottle share, and to be honest feel like I know little more now than I did then. The lore surrounding the brand involves bootleggers meeting under a “whiskey tree” during prohibition in the Honey Island Swamp. The distillery responsible for the bottle, Seven Three Distilling, are based out of New Orleans and promise spirits distilled from Louisiana-sourced grains. However, this bottle is full of 8-year-old juice distilled in Kentucky (which is odd, considering the fame of the 60/36/4 MGP juice - is this Bardstown?). Additionally, it’s a single barrel but it’s also marked as a “small batch.” 

But just in case you thought all this indeterminacy made me concerned about what I would be tasting, the second my friend told me this bottle was blended by Nancy Fraley my mind was at ease and I was excited for that first sip.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Seven Three Distilling Whiskey Tree High Rye Single Barrel Bourbon #SB870 113.8 proof - Selected by Seelbach's

Mashbill: 60% Corn / 36% Rye / 4% Malted barley

8 years old plus additional finishing in a toasted barrel and a Steen's Louisiana Cane Syrup barrel

Proof: 113.8

MSRP: 90$.

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested for the time it takes to have a dance party with a four-year-old.

NOSE: Strong scents of brown sugar and butter crumble, like what you’ll find on a good fruit crisp. There’s also a kind of mix of maple candy and candied ginger - not overly spicy or sweet. The spice really kicks in with a distinct clove-punctured orange peel note, with nice bright citrus throughout. There’s also the scent of buttered rolls, and I noted that the nose overall is somehow buttery without really feeling creamy. At the back end there’s a light peachiness and a kind of floating mellow oak.

PALATE: The buttered biscuits on the nose become a short stack of buttermilk pancakes with thick maple syrup on the tongue. These sweet and savory notes are balanced nicely by a sharp rye spice and the flavor of spicy ginger snaps. A strong sweet tea essence shows up as well,  with some perfume-y and botanical flavors mixed in. The fruit is somewhat low in the mix, with light orchard flavors of applesauce, fresh pear, and again a very light peach. Stronger are the citrusy orange notes which carry from the palate to the finish.

FINISH: Long and spicy! Starting with a nice burst of cloves and black pepper that even has a little cayenne tingle. Maple sweetness lingers, along with a semisweet chocolate. Leather and oak provide a little depth, while the orange peel note adds a nice brightness throughout.

CONCLUSION: Delicious stuff. The buttery and savory notes mix really well with the spicier, sweeter notes throughout. I appreciate how the rye impact shows up not just through herbal and spice notes, but also through the chewy breadiness that stretches from the nose to the tongue. The finish here is also phenomenal, with surprising depth of darker oak and leather. Of course I’m a novice, but I wonder if the juice without the cane sugar finish would have been even better, punching up some of the spice and darker notes while dialing down the more syrupy elements. As it is, I immediately went online after my friends left for the night to try to buy a bottle of this, and just my luck it was sold out. Oh well - I’m happy I got to try it, and will be looking out for what the brand does in the future.

RATING: 7 | Great | Well above average.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

Like many of us here, I have amassed enough of a collection to alternate between pride and shame at the sheer volume of delicious whiskey I’ve swaddled myself in. As a result, I’m challenging myself to write at least one review a week and post it here until I run out of whiskey or interesting things to say. The latter is definitely the odds-on favorite.

When this bottle was first announced I will admit it gave me a little pause. Developing a plan to highlight the sweeter elements of the Knob Creek profile sounds all well and good, but I’ve long felt that I belong to a passionate minority who actually enjoy the savory (yes, I like the Beam peanut note) and spicier elements of whiskey enough that an overly sweet pour will often fall flat. However, the overwhelming consensus of people I trust is that this bottle is a winner, and the price (under 50 bucks) and age statement (10 years) make it an exception to the frustrating dollar-per-year inflation that bourbon has undergone in the last half decade. I just hope going in that highlighting sweetness doesn’t mean deleting all those flavors that make Knob Creek what it is. 

TALE OF THE TAPE

Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01 Bourbon Whiskey

Mashbill: 77% Corn / 13% Rye / 10% Malted Barley

10 years old

Proof: 106

MSRP: 45$.

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested long enough to listen to my son’s complicated Goblet of Fire fan theory.

NOSE: The first note is all cherry, but it’s quickly joined by a kind of tart and sticky sweet note that reminded me of those caramel apple suckers that kids used to covet on the playground in elementary school. There’s butterscotch and some beam nuttiness, but here it almost smells like honey nut cheerios. A light cinnamon mixes with a much stronger vanilla, with orange zest underneath all of it.

PALATE: The first thing I thought of as I took a sip was luxardo syrup - thick and sweet with a dark cherry fruitiness. There’s plenty of the Classic Bourbon Profile as well with sweet oak, light caramel, and a robust vanilla. Although the marketing for this bottle is spot on in claiming that it’s bringing out the sweeter side of Knob Creek, there’s still some contrast and balance, with  bitter barrel char and a bit of cracked black peppercorn spice at the back.

FINISH: Not the longest ever. The black pepper at the back of the palate becomes cloves and allspice heat here. The barrel char lingers as well, along with a light caramel sweetness. Much lighter notes include citrus and a very mellow oak. 

CONCLUSION: This is certainly not the most complex pour I’ve ever had but it is quite good, and very drinkable. This bottle immediately shot up my rankings of “pours to offer to people who claim not to like bourbon,” as it is both extremely approachable with its sweetness while also offering some balance in the form of bitter and spicy notes. I think at the end of the day I probably would still prefer a pour of the Knob Creek 12 - but having this option at 10 years old and 40-some dollars has to be seen as an enormous win in the current bourbon marketplace.

RATING: 7 | Great | Well above average.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.