Bourbon

Bourbon Review: Knob Creek Bourbon Aged 18 Years

We review Knob Creek Bourbon Aged 18 Years, released last year to celebrate 30 years of the Knob Creek whiskey brand from Jim Beam.

OVERALL RATING

8
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Tasting Notes

About:

50% ABV. Release number KC001. The 18 Year Old is aged twice as long as Knob Creek’s flagship bourbon, and offers “a complex yet balanced liquid profile” according to the brand.
Appearance:
This has a lovely copper hue to it. It leaves a nice thin coat on the glass that forms long thin legs.
Nose:
Heavy spice on the nose, black pepper, and cinnamon. Hints of vanilla and caramel with a nondescript fruity quality, kind of like fruit cake. Can certainly smell the alcohol content of this as well.
Palate:
This is pretty hot up front and I don’t get much of any flavor at first. It then transitions to a leather and pepper taste with a vanilla extract note behind it. Finish has a kind of menthol quality to it, a bit of mint and a cooling tingle. This fades leaving me with the taste of damp oak and cinnamon. A bit of water opens this up to a lot of what I got on the nose. Much more spice and dried fruit comes through to join the leather and pepper from before.
Finish:
The finish stays pretty much the same, just a bit more mellow.
Comments:
This is not a bourbon for everyone, but there are a few people I can think of that would love this. Certainly a bolder, more austere version of Knob Creek, not quite as sweet of a mid palate as their standard small batch. I don’t know that I would even suggest this for a person who really enjoys Knob Creek Small Batch, but maybe for someone that likes the finish of the small batch.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Ian Arnold

Ian Arnold brings eight years of bartending expertise to the table, having honed his skills in renowned establishments across California, Australia, and Portland. His most recent position behind the bar was at the esteemed Multnomah Whisk(e)y Library. A dedicated member of the Oregon Bartenders' Guild's leadership team, Ian also served as a judge for numerous cocktail competitions. Currently working in the IT field, he continues to delight guests with his bartending prowess. In his leisure time, Ian enjoys playing board games and savoring the complexities of Japanese whisky.

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