Knob Creek bourbon is the best selling whiskey of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection.  It’s a small batch bourbon aged nine years at 100 proof.  Knob Creek is named after Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home, Knob Creek Farm.  I’m no stranger to this one – this is the third bottle I’ve owned over the years.  I’ve got friends who swear by it.  It MUST be good, right?

The common theme for Knob Creek is wood.  There’s lots of it.  On the nose there’s vibrant oak, vanilla, spice and a tad of caramel.  The palate is no different – lots of char and vanilla.  There’s a little cinnamon spice, brown sugar and caramel there, but they play second fiddle to the oak.  It’s got a medium semi-sweet finish.  That was tasting it neat.  Over some ice, the sweet notes make their presence further known.

Knob Creek sure has a lot of oak for a 9 year old bourbon.  It’s pretty good.  What keeps it from being great is an unbalance of flavors.  The oak and sweetness never compliment each other.  Rather, they seem to be competing for dominance, with the victor oftentimes being the charred wood flavors.  That being said, something about it keeps me coming back.  Like I mentioned earlier, this is the third bottle I’ve purchased over the last several years.  The flavors are pretty bold for a bourbon.  I think its $35 price point makes Knob Creek an affordable, robust bourbon worthy of a purchase.

7.5/10