Bourbon

Booker’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
62.45% ABV/124.9 Proof
$56 to $60
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
In 1992, Booker Noe introduced his own signature bourbon, Booker’s® True Barrel Bourbon. Inspired by a 200-year-old tradition, Booker’s is the first bourbon bottled straight-from-the-barrel, uncut and unfiltered. First created as a holiday gift for his special friends, Booker’s whiskey was so well-received that he decided to make it available to bourbon lovers worldwide; much to the joy of spirit connoisseurs everywhere.

Unlike anything you have ever tasted, Booker’s is one of the only uncut, unfiltered, straight-from-the-barrel, bourbons available today. It’s bottled at its natural proof of between 121 and 127, and aged between six and eight years. Booker’s Bourbon delivers a range of intense flavors from oak tannin and smoky vanilla to lighter tones of mocha and coffee. Add spring water to customize the taste and finish to your palate. The complexity provided by this straight-from-the-barrel bourbon makes Booker’s the rarest, absolute best bourbon you’ll ever taste.

Tasting Notes
Age: 6 to 8 years
Proof: 121 to 127
Color: Deep, rich, smoky amber
Aroma: Big oak, vanilla, smoky charcoal
Taste: Intense, fruit, tannin, tobacco
Finish: Clean, long, intense

What Richard Says:
Nose: I would expect the nose to be very hot at bottling proof but it’s surprisingly muted. With water it turns to burnt sugar, leather, and oranges.
Palate: Oily, peppery, and hot. Water sweetens the pot and tamps down the heat and pepper. Candied apples come to mind.
Finish: Hot and lingering. Water makes it clean and short.
Comments: Nothing against Booker or his namesake bourbon but I like this one the least of the Small Batch Collection. It’s a nice bourbon and it definitely stands out from the crowd but it doesn’t really do anything for me.
Rating: Stands Out

Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
50% ABV/100 Proof
$28 to $30
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says:
Knob Creek Bourbon was named after a little creek that runs just south of the distillery, the same creek that ran by Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home. Booker Noe, 6th generation Beam and master distiller emeritus created Knob Creek to reflect the strength, flavor, care, and patience that defined pre-prohibition bourbon. The bottle embodies the handmade look and feel of the turn-of-the century bourbon as well. It is reminiscent of a bootlegger’s flask with newspaper scrawled on the label, harkening back to the decade’s old custom of wrapping bottles in newspaper at the distillery.

Knob Creek bourbon was created in the style of turn of the century bourbon. Knob Creek embodies the bold flavor that has made Kentucky famous for bourbon. Aged the longest of the Small Batch Bourbons – 9 years – in charred American white oak, it strikes the senses with a maple sugar aroma, distinctive sweetness and rich, full-bodied flavor. Knob Creek is perfect straight or cooled slightly with one or two ice cubes.

Tasting Notes
Age: 9 years
Proof: 100
Color: Copper to medium amber
Aroma: Toasted nuts, grain oak
Taste: Rich, sweet, woody, full-bodied, almost fruity
Finish: Long, rich and glowing

What Richard Says:
Nose: Oaky and hot. Just the slightest hint of cherry syrup.
Palate: Cherry cough syrup, polished oak, peppery, and slightly tannic.
Finish: Warm, oaky, and long. Very dry.
Comments: I think of Knob Creek as the small batch progression from the standard Jim Beam line. I get a lot of the classic Jim Beam flavors but it is drier, a little spicier, and shows a lot more wood. It’s very enjoyable. Like all the bourbons we’re tasting this month, it’s made from the same mashbill as standard Jim Beam. The tasting of all these different styles is an interesting exercise in seeing what aging and warehouse location can do when the wood, water, and recipe are the same.
Rating: Stands Out