We've got more new single barrels of Bourbon than we can shake a stick at right now! Two new beauties just landed today, including one that was actually selected almost a year ago and got lost in transit, only to wind up in our warehouse today.
Last December we had the chance to snag an extra barrel of Knob Creek, but there was no time to get barrel samples to make the selection before the year-end deadline. That's when I reached out to Beam and the Noe boys and said: "I will entrust our selection to your fine palates."
Because this one was selected by either Fred or Lil' Book, I decided to have some fun with the name. This latest 9 year, 11 month old (just a month shy of 10) selection is called Noe's Nose Knows.
The nose of this whiskey is like butterscotch candy saturated in deep, dark aromas of oak and cedar. The palate is more of the same with dark cocoa nibs and tobacco leaf fleshing out some of that oakiness. The heat is strong in this one and I needed to dial it back with some water in order to break through to the core vanilla notes that are lying deliciously in wait. Another fun little number to add to the Knob Creek single barrel tally, and one that tastes absolutely nothing like the other two we currently have available.
Knob Creek Mission Exclusive "Noe's Nose Knows" 9 Year Old Single Barrel 120 Proof Kentucky Bourbon $59.99
When Vic and I visited Maker's Mark this past September, we spent quite some time trying to find a way to do something new and exciting with the Maker's Mark stave barrel program. Rather than select a single cask like most distilleries, Maker's allows you to choose a custom recipe of different stave types that will be inserted into a new barrel and filled with cask strength Bourbon for an extended aging period. Which staves you choose determines the flavor profile. What I told Vic was this: Maker's is a classic wheated Bourbon and we should try to make something that really accentuates that profile. The resulting recipe included 4 Baked American Pure, 4 Seared French Cuvée, and 2 Toasted French Spice staves: a combination that tasted like apple pie and sweet oak.
We decided to call it American Dessert as a result, and I think you'll all understand why when you taste it. There is nothing even remotely herbaceous about this whiskey. Every single flavor brimming at its core is rooted in cinnamon, sweet oak, caramel-covered apples and nutmeg sprinkled on top. The classic creamy wheated profile completely fools your tongue, tricking you into thinking this is 90 or maybe 95 proof instead of the 109.2 proof it actually is. Never in a million years would I assume this was 54.6% given how velvety it flows from front to back. Wheated Bourbon fans: this is your baby. You'll love this.