Bourbon

Knob Creek Quarter Oak

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Knob Creek Quarter Oak
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$50
Website
Knob Creek Quarter Oak
We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Knob Creek® Bourbon, a leader in the Small Batch Bourbon category for more than 25 years, is excited to announce a new, limited edition bourbon in its award-winning portfolio, Knob Creek® Quarter Oak. This special, limited-time release uses a secondary finishing approach to continue the vision founding distiller Booker Noe set for Knob Creek decades ago: to craft bourbon with the fullest flavors characteristic of pre-prohibition style.

With its latest release, Knob Creek explores and deepens the influence of oak on its flagship bourbon. Knob Creek Quarter Oak takes the brand’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, crafted in the pre-prohibition style fans expect from Knob Creek, and finishes it for a minimum of four years in quarter cask, American oak barrels to increase the amount of contact between the whiskey and wood. A small amount of this unique, secondarily finished whiskey – which delivers richer notes of oak – is then mingled with Knob Creek® Kentucky Straight Bourbon to create the final product that boasts a harmonious balance of oak influence and traditional, sweeter notes.

“When Dad created Knob Creek in the early 90s, he wanted to bring back the big, bold flavors that bourbon offered before the days of Prohibition,” said Fred Noe, Booker’s son and Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller. “Dad loved to experiment in his quest for flavor, and I like to think we carry on that same spirit today with releases like this. Finishing our full-flavored liquid in quarter casks delivers a really nice, deepened wood flavor to the bourbon our fans enjoy.”

Knob Creek Quarter Oak is bottled with the following characteristics:

Proof: 100
Color: Dark Honey
Aroma: A nice blend of brown sweets, char and toasted oak with hints of dried fruits
Taste: Sweet, heavy oak with background notes of char, dried fruits and brown spices
Finish: Slightly sweet charred oak with a lingering dryness

What Gary Says

Nose:  Oak prominent, vanilla, burnt caramel, dark chocolate, blood orange, cigar paper with hints of dark roast coffee grounds and a bit of anise.
Palate:  Sweet to start with caramel, chocolate covered cherries, loads of baking spices – allspice, clove, a citrus-spice note, and oak.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with cocoa and oak pepper spice.
Comments:  Compared to Knob Creek, I get more dark chocolate and spice notes throughout, along with plenty of oak. I’m not a big fan of ‘oak bombs’ – and to be clear, this isn’t that. It is definitely heavier on the oak as you’d expect, but is balanced well with some lovely spice notes. If you do like a lot of oak in your bourbon, you’ll probably love this.

Rating: Stands Out

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Yellowstone 2019 Limited Edition

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Yellowstone 2019 Limited Edition
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50.5% ABV
$100
Website
Yellowstone 2019 Limited Edition
We would like to thank Limestone Branch and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Producer Says

Limestone Branch Distillery introduces the 2019 variety of Yellowstone® Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon, set to hit the market in August. This year’s edition includes a hand-picked selection of the most unique barrels – those hidden gems in the rick house – including barrels of extra-aged nine-year and 12-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

“I tasted many quality, mature Kentucky Straight Bourbons in order to find the right two ages for this year’s release – I had a certain taste profile in mind and I sought those barrels that matched it,” says Steve Beam, head distiller at Limestone Branch Distillery. “The barrels I chose were in different parts of the rick house and each barrel’s unique location contributed to the taste profile and complexity of this bourbon. When combined, these extra-aged bourbons create a mature and complex bourbon with robust spice and oaky undertones.”

Yellowstone has been one of Kentucky’s favorites since 1872. This year’s edition brings cinnamon notes with toffee, dried fruit and a hint of citrus to the palate, followed by a dry finish of brown sugar and oak. Using Beam’s expertise and honed palate, only the finest barrels were chosen for this year’s release.

Bottled at 101 proof and available in 750ml bottles nestled in commemorative tubes, the 2019 Yellowstone Limited Edition continues to honor the long-standing tradition. Approximately 12,500 bottles of this bourbon are being produced at Limestone Branch Distillery, and the suggested retail price is $99.99.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Lovely caramel, oak, vanilla wafers, cinnamon, allspice, and toasted orange zest.
Palate:  Rich caramel and vanilla buttercream frosting, oak with a spicy bite of clove and citrus spice mid-way through the palate before bringing out some milk chocolate.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with some pepper spice and cinnamon.
Comments:  This is a solid bourbon with a spicy edge to it.  Some might call it ‘brash’ (which to me isn’t a bad thing; Stagg is ‘brash’ and I’d never turn down a pour of it!). I don’t think it is too sharp or spicy, and it has those sweet notes you’d expect in a bourbon. If you’re a fan of ‘sweet & mellow’ bourbon, this might be outside your comfort zone. For those that like a spicier pour (like Wild Turkey or Old Forester), this is likely right up your alley. A bit of water doesn’t hurt it, but I didn’t find it needed it either.

Rating: Stands Out

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Lux Row Distillers 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Lux Row Distillers 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon

59.2% ABV
$150
Website
Lux Row Distillers Double Barrel Bourbon
We would like to thank Luxco and Common Ground PR for sending us samples to review.

What the Producer Says

Lux Row Distillers has launched a new bourbon, Lux Row Distillers Double Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, to commemorate the distillery’s grand opening last year. The new limited edition bourbon brings together two carefully selected 12-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels bottled together for the ultimate barrel strength taste and finish.

“We wanted to do something unique to commemorate the opening of Lux Row Distillers so I tasted through many barrels to find the ones that would complement each other perfectly creating a well-balanced, flavorful bourbon,” says Head Distiller John Rempe. “Each two barrel combinations will be slightly different but will have strong caramel and vanilla notes, with a warm and spicy finish.”

These masterfully selected bourbons have a rye mash bill and are bottled at cask strength at 118.4 proof – a nod to the distillery’s grand opening in April of 2018. The packaging includes a custom Lux Row Distillers embossed bottle, real metal labels and is topped with a solid copper cork. In addition, each bottle’s label includes the barrel numbers and age statements of the barrels selected. The back label tells the story of the grand opening, a celebration of the distillery’s first year. This limited edition bourbon, with approximately 6,000 bottles released, is available only in Kentucky and retails for a SRP of $150.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Rich, lovely caramel, vanilla, rice pudding, oak, a hint of peach cobbler and a note of cigar paper.
Palate:  Viscous mouthfeel, warm, rich chocolate fudge with caramel swirls, some baking spices with honey and brown sugar, bits of pepper spice at the end.
Finish:  Long, slightly drying with cocoa.
Comments:  This is just a lovely, sweet, luscious bourbon. I don’t often pay a lot of attention to the legs on whisk(e)y, but this one struck me after the first swirl in my Glencairn (a string of slowly growing pearls that took ages before gravity won out). Takes water well. This is on the sweeter side of the spectrum, which I enjoy in bourbon. The bottle itself is solid, with a topper that is pretty hefty (reminds me a bit of the Wild Turkey Master’s Keep tops for those familiar). Was fortunate enough to get a taste of this at the distillery in mid-September. If you’re in Bardstown, definitely recommend swinging by Lux Row Distillery (might be able to try a sample for yourself; if there’s any left).

Rating: Must Try

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Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home

61.3% ABV
$125
Website

We would like to thank Beam Suntory and Multiply for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Freddie Noe, eighth generation Beam distiller and creator of Little Book® Whiskey, is proud to announce the third installment in his annual, limited-release series of blends – “Little Book Chapter 3: The Road Home.”

Following high acclaim for the first two blended whiskies within the Little Book series – 2017’s “The Easy” and 2018’s “Noe Simple Task” – the third chapter delivers on Noe’s passion for creating one-of-a-kind blends, while also honoring his storied family roots in Kentucky. Little Book Chapter 3: “The Road Home” features a blend of four super-premium Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskies, one from each brand of the original Small Batch Bourbon Collection created by his grandfather Booker Noe in the early 1990s. The result is a meticulously blended whiskey with depth of flavor and legacy.

FREDDIE’S NOTE
“The Road Home” batch pays tribute to my grandfather as the name Little Book is actually the childhood nickname that he gave me. And so I thought after having a couple of chapters under my belt that it would be a great time to pay honor to him and blend some of the liquids that he gave the bourbon industry. The four liquids that I chose to go into this batch of Little Book® are from the original small batch collection that my grandfather, Booker, created. The Road Home is a blend of nine year old Basil Hayden®, nine year old Knob Creek®, 11 year old Booker’s® and 12 year old Baker’s®, and as always with Little Book®, these liquids are at barrel strength and will be bottled at barrel strength as well. The name “The Road Home” references the road that I travel to and from on a regular basis, the same road my grandfather, Booker, traveled back when he used to work here at the distillery. I tinkered with a lot of different recipes, 57 to be exact, before finding what I was looking for – layers of vanilla, char and dried apricots with lingering oak. The final recipe I selected was 51 of the 57 I tried – a lot more trial and error than the others, but I thought if someone is going to play with the liquids that my grandfather developed, they had better produce a damned good blend. – Freddie Noe, 8th Generation Beam Family Distiller

Blend Overview:
9-year-old Knob Creek® Bourbon
9-year-old Basil Hayden’s® Bourbon
11-year-old Booker’s® Bourbon
12-year-old Baker’s® Bourbon

TASTING NOTES
COLOR: Deep golden brown with auburn hues
AROMA: Caramel, smoky barrel char, sweet baking spices and vanilla
TASTE: Vanilla, char and dried apricot with a lingering oak
FINISH: Lingering, warm and sweet, layered with tones of oak

What Gary Says

Nose:  Lovely rickhouse mustiness rich with vanilla custard, salted caramel, dark chocolate, peanut brittle, charred oak, bits of blood orange, allspice and cinnamon.
Palate:  Thick mouthfeel, warm with caramel drizzled atop brownies, vanilla flan with cinnamon, rich chocolate notes, cinnamon and pepper spice.
Finish:  Long, drying with oak, chocolate and lingering spices.
Comments:  I get a lot of similarities to Booker’s, what I imagine barrel-proof Baker’s might be like, and Knob Creek in this (but less of the Basil Hayden . . . bottled at 40% ABV, a little more challenging to pin how that would be at cask strength). This is a delightfully well balanced blend of some fine bourbon! Rich and thick, this nails all of the ‘bourbon’ notes I look for while including some oak (but not overdoing it). Fans of the Small Batch collection I think will find this to be lovely.

Rating: Must Try

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J.T.S. Brown Bottled in Bond

/ / Bourbon, Review /

J.T.S. Brown Bottled in Bond
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$10-$12
Website (ok, not their web-site, but the closest thing, eh)
JTS Brown Bottled in Bond

What the Distillery Says

(No mention of this brand on their web-site, so below is what is on the bottle)
J.T.S. Brown Kentucky’s Finest
Established 1855
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
100 Proof
Distilled and Aged in Kentucky, Bottled by
J.T.S. Brown’s Son Company, Bardstown, Kentucky

Distilled by Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc
D.S.P.-KY-1
Louisville, Kentucky

What Gary Says

Nose:  A tad hot, charred oak and vanilla, hint of caramel with a bit of cinnamon, and a trace of dried mint.
Palate:  Crushed vanilla wafers with a watered-down caramel sauce, bit of oak with a sharp bite of cinnamon candies.
Finish:  On the shorter side, drying with cinnamon.
Comments:  This is definitely a ‘value brand’. No age statement, although as ‘Bottled in Bond’ it is at least four years old (I’d guess it is pretty close to exactly four years old). My Dad would point out that this was the whiskey that ‘Fast Eddie’ Felson (played by Paul Newman) drank in “The Hustler“.  If you like ‘smooth’ bourbon, this ain’t it – although adding a bit of water brings out some corn sweetness and softens the edges a bit – without completely losing them). This drinks a little hotter than 100 proof to me, and is edgy like bourbon aged at the top of the rickhouse. But for $10, it is a pretty serviceable bourbon – and there aren’t many at that price point that meet that bar in my opinion.

Rating: Average

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