Knob Creek has an interesting history.  The bourbon is named after the area where US President Abraham Lincoln grew up as a youngster.  In fact, he nearly drowned in Knob Creek as a boy when heavy rains swelled the waterway.  Fast forward to 1933, the year prohibition was finally repealed.  Lincoln’s boyhood home had by this time become a national shrine of sorts.  Some far-sighted businessmen decided to erect a tavern on the property in his name to attract the flocks of tourists who would come into town.  Undoubtedly, the bourbon flowed freely as vacationers made merry inside the large tavern cum dance hall.  Today, it is sadly just a gift shop.  But, the Knob Creek name still lives on in the form of one of Beam Suntory Inc.’s “small batch” Bourbons introduced in 1992.

Unlike most Bourbons, Knob Creek is aged for nine years and bottled at 100 proof, giving it a heartier color and flavor.

Knob Creek (100 proof)
Visual: Medium brown.
Nose: A lot of high and assertive notes.  This is a bourbon that won’t back down.
Taste: Woody notes percolate through milder flavors of roasted sweet corn and a touch of spicy rye.  Straight from the bottle, everything is very tight, but opens up into a wider vista of flavors with the addition of some branch water.  The main profile is of wood which makes for a bourbon which will make you stand up and take notice.
Finish: Fairly long with a balance of sweet and spicy.
Overall: Try of touch of this in your next sweet tea, or in a Mint Julep.  The high-proof will withstand the dilution handily.
GSN Rating: A-

For more information go to: Knob Creek

Filed under: Spirits & Liqueurs