Knob Creek Limited Edition 2001

Neat. Bottle kill review. Batch 1.This bottle has been my friend for awhile but all good things come to an end. It’s my daughter’s 7th b-day and I have decided to kill the last 4 ounces tonight. Perfect time for a review. An amazing cherry note on the front mixed with vanilla frosting and a hint of nuttiness. Brings back memories of my grandparents and their favorite cafeteria restaurant. It had this vanilla pudding, cherry pie covered in crushed peanuts. The graham cracker pie crust is there too. I love this nose. Mouth feel is super oily but a bit thin too. The oily part dominates later though. Really getting punched by the oak tonight. Starts out light and bright with the vanilla and the oak drops like anvil. Vanilla lingers and that cherry comes around more on subsequent sips. The nuttiness is very very very subtle. Still a great pour. Since I bought this bottle a consistent wave of 14-15 year 120 proof store picks have been around my area. While I love the nose on this, the taste is just okay compared to those store picks. That brings my score down a peg.

Lets open with laughing at whatever idiot gave this a 95 on distillers. Anyway, after the massive failure that was the 25th anniversary I thought it would be fun to go ahead and try the 2001. As we all know Knob Creek has become really well known for the insanely good store picks that are coming out often with 14-15 year age statements. This 14 year at 100 proof however is likely going to be a huge failure. It's bourbon so looks don't matter. Nose is classic bourbon. Slightly nutty, vanilla, oak, light fruits, and maybe a touch of a custard. The flavor brings a lot of oak, not the old rich leather oak but just a lot of fresh cut oak, vanilla of course, it's a really good quality bourbon. Finish is medium, nothing special again. More or less this is knob creek 9 year old with a touch more oak and quality. It's nothing more than that though. The standard single barrels are often better, not even the older store picks. That said unlike the 25th, this is very good bourbon. It's just 120 bucks which is a joke.

Picked up a bottle of batch 4 recently, after enjoying some other Beam limited releases this year. I knew it didn't get great reviews at release, but had heard that the later batches were better. So let's see. Nose - dried oak, peanuts, cinnamon, cherries, vanilla, and barrel spice. Pretty typical KC bourbon nose. Palate - A bit thin for 100 proof, with peanuts, oak caramel, vanilla and baking spices. Some vague fruit notes. Finish is more of the same, but does not stick around long enough to coat the palate. So it's a pretty good bourbon, and representative of the Knob Creek profile. It's just not worthy of Limited Edition status (or price). This actually reminds me quite a bit of the Knob Creek 12 yr that started shipping this year. Maybe the 2001 is a little drier/oakier (but not much). The problem with that is the 12yr is readily available for half the price. So in that regard, this 2001 is a miss for me.

Body: looks fairly heavy and clings to the glass. The color is a healthy dark brown like lighter maple syrup. Nose: Caramel, apples, vanilla, cinnamon rolls. Palate: with just a sip on the tip of my tongue and lips it tasted like aromatic tobaccos. Exceptionally smooth mouth feel. Sweet corn, toasted oak, and nuts. Very little burn and the sweetness lingers with a variety of tobaccos, oat, and just a touch of the rye. Two drops of water awoke more a char and vanilla caramel notes. Absolutely superb. Finish: cinnamon, a very strong and enjoyable toasted oak, and fried apples. Overall: I hate that I opened this, but at the same time I am overjoyed by the product. It’s delicious and I wish it was more readily available. If it was I’d guzzle this bottle and find another one immediately. As it is, I will be taking my time.

Nose packs a punch, but delivers some quintessential bourbon flavors. There’s honey, caramel, and sugar. Body is softer and mellower when it first hits, then strikes with a good deal of heat. That transition of the mouth feel is interesting. Not sure how they did that. The flavor on the body is subtle. A tad of cinnamon, some tea leaves. A bit of lemon in the sharpest moments. Finish delivers on the citrus flavor, with heavy cinnamon. I’m always fascinated when a bourbon can surprise you. Nose has caramel? Screw you brah, body is gonna have citrus. The mouth feel transition during the body is also fascinating. Bookers has done some screwy stuff like this over the years, but this knob creek is something special. Very glad I got this bottle!

Delicious! Found this at a whiskey bar in North Carolina (hunkering down and having a glass waiting for Florence) with a live jazz band. Rich maple syrup and vanilla on the nose with no burn whatsoever after opening up for about 10 minutes. On the palate, it is similar to the nose with just a little spice and mild heat. Reminiscent of a wheated bourbon such as Weller 12 in my opinion. Finish is medium if not a little short. My only complaint was that it is too easy to drink and my glass was empty way too quickly. Higher price point but worth it if you have $ to spend.