Review 132: Knob Creek Small Batch

Review 132

1/13/13

Knob Creek Small Batch: 50% abv

Background: Knob Creek Small Batch bourbon is part of Jim Beam’s Small Batch series (there is a connection there somewhere). It is produced at the Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Kentucky. This particular bourbon is a nine year old bourbon, so it is quite a bit older than some of your standard bourbons, which sit at four years. It is also the oldest of the Small Batch series, outpacing Booker’s, Basil Hayden, and Baker’s. If you go on Knob Creek’s website, you’ll find out there is an obnoxiously hard to read story on there about why Knob Creek is what it is, but we’ll omit that. There is also a Knob Creek Single Barrel and a Knob Creek Rye now being produced.

Nose: Burns, strong, alcohol type nose, very hot, oak, vanilla, wheat, spice, light rye, some honey, sweetness

            A/W: Much more sweetness, sugar, sweet caramel

Arrival: Hot, spicy, cinnamon, dry, grainy, spicy, plenty of oak character

            A/W: Almonds, sugar

Body: Still hot and spicy, lots of grain

            A/W: Almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread, oak, maple

Finish: Again, hot and spicy, dry, wheat, nutmeg, Big Red cinnamon flavor, peppermint, nut oils

            A/W: Barley, sugar, gingerbread

Final Comments: This is obviously a hot and spicy bourbon, with tons of intensity to it. We have plenty of experience drinking spirits above 50%, and Booker’s is a great example of how that can be done right. If you look at Knob Creek, it is a little different. The heat here is overdone, and doesn’t balance well with the flavor content. Not to mention the fact that the water is necessary to make this one speak out a little. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it could be a little better.

Why you’d buy it: You want an intense, slightly older than average bourbon with some nutty qualities to it, but aren’t particularly concerned about getting the most complex spirit.

Why you wouldn’t: Maker’s 46 exists

Score: 8.25/10

Review 130: Basil Hayden's 8 Yr Bourbon

Review 130

1/10/13

Basil Hayden’s: 40% abv

Background: Basil Hayden’s is one of the four bourbons in the Jim Beam Small Batch family, and sits at 8 years old. This one is known as the lightest of the four bourbons, as is indicated by the proof of the whiskey, being at a modest 80 proof (40%). The Basil Hayden’s bourbon is named from Basil Hayden, Sr. who was a Maryland Catholic who led 25 Catholic families into Kentucky. Turns out, Hayden was also a distiller (who would have thunk?) who used a large amount of rye in his batches. His grandson Raymond Hayden founded a distillery known as Old Grand-Dad, which we still see bottling bourbon today. Here’s the deal: this bourbon is made by Jim Beam. All this history just tells you where it came from. Let’s see what it turns out to be like. 

Nose: Oak, corn, subtle rye, wheat, honey, cinnamon sugar, mint, allspice

A/W: More Floral

Arrival: Light honey, oak, caramel, vanilla, sweet, thin

A/W: Same

Body: Sweet, light, honey, mint, ginger, corn, caramel

A/W: Big oak, sweet, lightly floral

Finish: Herbal, mint, cherry sweetness, wheat, hot cinnamon, rye, oak, vanilla, dry, medium length

A/W: Same

Final Comments: Basil Hayden’s is clearly not the most complex bourbon on the market, and you pay quite a penny for it. It starts to beg the question, then, if it is worth the money. The positive part is that it has a good balance of flavors, it is a sweet bourbon, and it is certainly a quality whiskey. The bad news is that it is expensive and it isn’t an engaging whiskey. 

Why you’d buy it: It’s a smooth alternative to regular bourbon and you like having a nice social status.

Why you wouldn’t: You want to pay less for more, and Buffalo Trace exists.

Score: 7.5/10