Knob Creek has been a common sight in stores and bars, but it’s never graced our site – until now. The verdict? Well, it’s another whiskey suffering from the 100 proof count, and the sweet bourbon flavors does little to help. We do personally know the rye as an okay Old Fashioned, but we’re in bourbon county now.
And our prevailing thought is one of Jack Daniels Black Label, but in terms of the level this is ‘working at’, and in terms of ‘hide the pain, Emily’. Knob Creek’s bourbon is not one that shall likely grace our doors ever again, but then there is a rye, single barrel, and (not for review) some other stranger flavors.
What they Say: “Bottle Front: Hand-crafted in limited quantity for superior taste & smoothness.
Bottle Back: Deep in Kentucky, tiny Knob Creek spills and riffles down through the hills. Like the bourbon bearing its name, there’s not much of Knob Creek but what there is rewards your finding it.”
Taste: 4.5 – That smell is a trap, it’s a venus fly trap – lulling you into a false sense of security. The taste can only be described as we often call overproof whiskeys – a sort of hot, cinnamon (but not quite) kinda situation. And it’s the same thing here.
Aftertaste: 5.5 – That mostly carries over, sure there’s a bit of wood and even a few seconds of smoke along that way – but the overall taste is prevailing and pervasive.
Burn/Smooth: 3.5 – It’s not a ‘burn’ in the same sense as other shittier whiskeys, but to say you don’t finish a sip of this without saying ‘huwah’ would be lying. This is not smooth – fact.
Aroma: 7.0 – It’s a nice bourbon, small bit of heat, some sweetness too. Certainly, some kind of spice going on. It’s not very strong though, and there’s not a big sort of oak or power to this – even being 100 proof. Which is a good thing?
Honesty: 7.0 – Bonus English Language Round: riffles – ‘a rocky or shallow part of a stream or river with rough water.’ Overall nothing too wanky, the bottle is good, the wax cracks, and Knob Creek has stand out bar presence without having so much wank in text. Add that all up and aside from the aroma lying about what you are getting into – this is honest as hell.
Mixability: 5.75
W/ Rocks: 5.0 – Does that cut some of this overgrown bonsai back? Yeah, a little bit like only with a fucken nail file. This is not a ‘casual’ kinda whiskey fair. This is for when you need something to hide the pain.
Whiskey and Coke: 6.5 – You can finally tame this GD horse of a whiskey into something enjoyable without wincing. Knob Creek may see innocent enough with its label and smell, but it takes cola to truly make it easy.
Value: 4.0 – Compared to some other overproof bourbons, that’s actually not a far cry of extravagant. But it barely works w/ coke and if that’s it – it’s a failure as a mixer and hurts the value.
Google Shop Average: $24
Website: https://www.knobcreek.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 5.0
Want to compare this spirit against our archives? Visit our statistics page.
Metric Score: 37.25/70 |+| Metric Average: 5.32 |+| Reviewer Average: 5.0
New to Honest Booze Reviews, or just wondering how we score? See our FAQ/Review Policy.
Final Thoughts: It’s basic. It has some unique flavors going on, but by balancing that out with some overall badness it hurts itself. Add in only being okay to mix, but not super good value and we sort of have to go with the typical middle of the road score.
Sorry bro, but looks like you just can’t handle high proof Bourbon. This does not burn at all at 100 proof
Yeah GKNIGHT, either the Buffalo can’t handle 100 proof or maybe Knob Creek just isn’t his jam. Buffalo as the tribe says, “drink the whiskey you like to drink the way you like to drink it”. Knob Creek will continue to grace its presence upon my door. Especially with the 9 year coming back.