BourbonGuy 2017 Bourbon of the Year: Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

December 21, 2017 Eric Burke

I can see the question in your eyes as you read this. Why, after five years of publishing this site, did you finally decide to do something as gimmicky as a "Bourbon of the Year" award?

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary from Ace Spirits

And I admit, I've scoffed at them on other sites for as long as I've been reading other sites. But, I do have an answer and it's honestly really simple. I've finally found one that I'd be willing to put my own reputation behind. I stumbled across a bourbon that was so good that it needed more than just a heart icon.

And I do mean stumbled. Back in late summer, I got an email from Ace Spirits (I'm on their email marketing list, it wasn't some special heads-up or anything) mentioning that the barrel of Knob Creek 25th Anniversary was going to be arriving soon. On a whim, I decided to preorder it, even though it was well beyond my personal price ceiling. I immediately regretted it. $165 for a single bottle of bourbon will do that to you. Especially when that meant that my whiskey budget for my upcoming trip to Kentucky was going to be $165 shorter than normal.

But by the time the bottle came in, I was over that and had moved on to anticipation. I took it home, tried it, thought to myself "Ooh, I can't wait to review this." Then I went to Kentucky and promptly forgot about it. Over the intervening months, I would occasionally pour myself a glass. This was one I didn't want to rush through. And then last week, I realized that I had forgotten to review it.

And so the BourbonGuy.com 2017 Bourbon of the Year award was born. This is the best bottle I bought this year. It was better than the Rebel Yell Single Barrel. It was better than the Four Roses Limited. It was better than the 2016 Yellowstone I purchased and the 2017 one I got a sample of. This is in the conversation for the best bourbon I've ever had (of course, memories are notoriously biased).

So what do we know about this barrel of bourbon? It is part of the Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel brand. It is barrel strength at 61.6% ABV. It is 13 years old. And it is delicious.

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Purchase Info: $165 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN (after tax, I can't find the original receipt since I thought I had already reviewed it).

Details: Barrel Date: 5/13/2004, 61.6% ABV, Barrel #: 5166, Warehouse L, Floor 3, Rick 32, Tier 3.

Nose: Dusty oak, caramel, vanilla, cocoa. Essentially a perfect bourbon nose.

Mouth: Shows its proof by being very hot on the first sip. I'm getting caramel, cocoa, oak, and vanilla. Very similar to the nose.

Finish: Long and warm with lingering notes of rich dark chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, and caramel.

Thoughts: The nose and mouth are very good, but the finish is what makes this the best bourbon I've had this year. The finish is simply phenomenal.

Notice: Starting tomorrow, I'm finally taking a real vacation where I won't be working at all. I'll be back after the first of the new year. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and thank you for being a loyal reader.

BourbonGuy.com accepts no advertising. It is solely supported by the sale of the hand-made products I sell at the BourbonGuy Gifts Etsy store. If you'd like to support BourbonGuy.com, visitBourbonGuyGifts.com. Thanks!

The Bourbon Bar at Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace, Bardstown, Kentucky

October 5, 2017 Eric Burke

Let me tell you. I may have found my new favorite place to grab a drink while attending the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. And I came across it quite by accident.

As you are aware, I visit the Kentucky Bourbon Festival every year. And every year, one of the many things I like to do is visit the lawn area where the distilleries and local craftspeople sell things to the public. I seldom buy anything, but I always like to look. One of the other things I like to do is wander around downtown and see the window displays that the distilleries put into the shop windows. It reminds me of the things that used to happen in the town I grew up in, back before the future happened and people stopped caring what local businesses looked like.

So last year, we were walking between the lawn and 3rd street on one of the warmer days of the week. We decided to check out this store called the Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. Mostly as a way to hop out of the direct sunlight that was threatening to burn our Northern skin to a crisp. We'd been in there before and knew that in addition to the "souvenir" store and liquor store, there was also a bar in the building. Most of the times I had walked past previously, the bar had been packed, but this time for whatever reason it wasn't and we had the opportunity to stop in for a drink. Weirdly, I knew the bartender...or at least I knew who he was and had interacted with him on previous trips to Bardstown. His name is Don. Longtime readers might remember Don as our first tour guide at the Barton 1792 distillery way back on our first BourbonFest trip in 2012. Don was as good a bartender as he was a tour guide and for most of the same reasons. He's just fun to talk to.

Which means we were extremely happy when we stopped in this year and found that he is still working behind the bar at the Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. And this time around, after talking to Howard (the owner) and realizing he was just as nice and fun to talk to, I decided to take a few photos and let you guys in on the secret of the place too.

You enter the store from Flaget Street. It is very conveniently located one block north and one block west of the roundabout in the center of Bardstown. If you are in Downtown Bardstown you are only a few minute's walk to it, no matter where you start from.

This is a very small place. There are 8-10 seats at the bar and three tables with 3-4 seats each. There is some standing room. I made use of it on Saturday afternoon of my most recent visit. There is also a patio in the warmer months, as weather allows. But one of the things that makes this a good place to visit is the selection. Every pour is $9 aside from the middle section of the shelves. These ranged from $15 up to $90 (as you might guess, the highest proces went for those in the bags on the top shelf...).

Speaking of selection, this was the bar where I had myself my first taste of the Four Roses Al Young 50th Anniversary Small Batch. It was $15 and it was delicious. I wish I had been able to get a bottle, but I'm happy enough to have tried it in a nice place surrounded by good people.

They also have cocktails. My wife was particularly fond of the Bardstown Bubbler, a house cocktail that won the title of "Official Cocktail of the 2016 Kentucky Bourbon Festival." It has Peach Bitters, Campari, Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Buffalo Trace and is topped with sweet Champagne and garnished with a mint sprig. I would, however, avoid their take on the Sazerac. It leaves out the Absinthe and lemon peel and is garnished with an orange peel. So basically, it is a Rye Old Fashioned.

But that aside, every bartender there was fun and interesting to talk to. The drinks were reasonably priced. The atmosphere was friendly and fun. All in all, it was a nice place to pass the afternoon and grab a drink or three.

The Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace is located at 110 West Flaget Ave in Bardstown, Kentucky.

What I mean when I say I like something (and more)

July 18, 2017 Eric Burke

The germ of this article comes from one I originally posted in February of 2013. I think it's time to surface it again. I've cleaned it up a little since I think I've gotten better at writing in the last four years, but the basic idea behind my reviews haven't changed.

Everyone who writes about whiskey approaches things differently. Some reviewers like to use numbers. Numbers make a review feel scientific because you've done some math. Some reviewers like to use stars. Stars are easy to visualize and are familiar to Amazon shoppers everywhere. I like to use various cartoon faces and hearts because I'm silly. Probably too silly for my own good. The point is that any and/or all of these are correct. They all adequately represent how much or how little a reviewer liked any given whiskey. But no matter how a writer presents it, we as readers need to remember that the rating is still just a subjective opinion.

It probably goes without saying, but I like bourbon. I enjoy it in many different ways. Sometimes I enjoy thoughtfully tasting bourbon. I pour it into a nosing glass, sit down, concentrate, and try to tease out all the little smells and tastes that are hidden inside the glass. And if it is interesting, I'll probably like it. Other times, I want to enjoy bourbon in a rocks glass while playing cards or watching tv or conversing with friends. I'm not paying a lot of attention to it, but if it tastes good and it's acting as a social lubricant, I'll probably like it. Sometimes I enjoy it in a cocktail. Even if it isn't great neat, if it makes a killer Manhattan, I'll probably like it. And if I like it, then I'll tell you I like it. And I'll put a little smiley face next to it.

Sometimes I find a bourbon that doesn't taste good and isn't all that interesting. Needless to say, I don't like these. I've gotten pretty good at knowing what I like, and since I buy most of the whiskey reviewed on the site, the odds are that I'm not buying too many duds. But occasionally one slips through, or I buy one specifically for research purposes. When that happens, I'll tell you I dislike it and put a frowny face next to it.

Of course, some whiskeys are just...meh. There is nothing offensive about them. They don't taste bad. I don't dislike it, but I don't like it either. It's just sort of in the middle there for me. In such a case I'll just drop a neutral face on it.

Very occasionally I'll drop a heart on something. This means I love it. No ifs, ands, or buts. I'd take this whiskey over almost any other.

So to recap:

A heart means I loved this whiskey. I'd have to pause and think (briefly) if forced to choose between it and my wife. (shhhh... don't tell her)

A smiley face means I liked the whiskey or I found it interesting while tasting it. Or I enjoyed myself while drinking it. Or I enjoyed the company I drank it with. Or I was having fun. Most bourbons and ryes will be in this category because, on at least some level, I like most bourbons and ryes I've tasted.

A neutral face means meh. I didn't particularly like this whiskey, but I didn't hate it either. It wasn't for me. But you might like it.

A frowny face means I really disliked this. I probably dumped it out or at least thought about dumping it out.

We all have different life experiences that color our perceptions. I taste JuicyFruit gum when I taste Four Roses. Other people might taste Jackfruit, but I've never had a Jackfruit, so I say JuicyFruit. Some people might taste almond in a whiskey. I'm allergic to nuts, so I only have an academic idea of what almonds taste like. If I use it as a tasting note, it will have come from my wife (we do the notes together). The point is that everyone will like different things and has had different experiences to inform their tastes. And that's pretty cool. It gives us something to talk about.

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

June 27, 2017 Eric Burke

I state in my Statement of Ethics that if I accept a review sample, I will disclose it at the beginning of the article. Please consider it disclosed. I’d like to thank Common Ground PR for providing this sample to me with no strings attached.

I am sorry about last week; freelance work has been crazy busy. Which is a great problem to have. Let me tell you I am not complaining. But it did leave me with little time to taste and write about bourbon. However, the extra passage of time did allow something to happen that makes this article just a little more fun.

At the beginning of May, I received a press release announcing the release of the 2017 batch of Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon. Though I had tasted it at an event, I never reviewed last year's batch (and never saw it at retail), so I checked on the availability of samples. Unfortunately, they said that there weren't going to be any review samples this year. Not a problem, I just determined to keep my eyes open for a bottle at the store.

A little while later, a friend of mine texted me from the liquor store that he was picking up a bottle of Rebel Yell Single Barrel. So I asked him to grab me a bottle too. He did, and so I knew I'd have one to review. Except that since we are both busy people, we didn't catch up with each other until this past weekend.

Which is what makes this one fun. See in between my friend grabbing a bottle for me and me getting it; I received a sample of this bourbon as well. And what this allowed me to do was compare barrels of this single-barrel product just to see how big of a difference there is between barrels. I will be comparing barrel number 5043515, provided by Common Ground PR with barrel number 5043517 that I purchased locally.

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

Purchase Info: Barrel# 5043517: $45.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine.
Barrel# 5043515: 50 mL sample generously provided by Common Ground PR.

Details: 50% ABV. Age stated 10-years old. Aged since May 2006.

Nose: Barrel# 5043517: Caramel, cherry, mint, and oak.
Barrel# 5043515: Less cherry and more oak.

Mouth: Barrel# 5043517: Sweet with notes of rich leather, caramel, baking spice, and oak.
Barrel# 5043515: Much spicier with a drier oak feel.

Finish: Barrel# 5043517: Long and warm with lingering sweetness and spice.
Barrel# 5043515: Long and spicy.

Thoughts: Both of these are fantastic bourbons. They are similar, as you might expect, though the sample was noticeably spicier and not as sweet.

I like comparing single barrel bourbons. It's fun to experience the variations on a theme. Sometimes, there's little difference. They are so similar that you wonder just how single that barrel was. Rebel Yell Single Barrel does not have that issue. Both are distinct and delicious in their own way. I am really impressed. And even at $50, I think this is worth the money should you have it to spare. For me, this is on the line between really, really like and love. But because I think the price point is just about perfect, I'll just go with I love it.

Old Forester 1920 - Prohibition Style

February 2, 2017 Eric Burke

As I write this, it's Groundhog Day. And whether you are sick of what the government is doing or just sick of everyone complaining about it, I think it is safe to say that we are all starting to feel a little like Bill Murry in the film of the same name. Every day it's the same damn stuff.

That's about as political as I will get right now, but I think it's safe to say that we could all use a drink and that turning our gaze back in time wouldn't be out of the question either.

Enter Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Bourbon. 1920 is the latest expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row series. As with the previous releases, it is formulated to be, at least a bit, like the bourbons that would have been available in the year it's named after.

In this case, it is proofed to 115 proof, a typical Old Forester barrel strength of the time. Now, you wouldn't have been able to get bourbon at that proof if you were just Joe Nobody on the street, but if you knew someone who knew someone, you might be able to get your hands on a little straight-from-the-barrel bourbon. And if that somebody knew somebody at Old Forester, it might have been just about this proof.

So as we turn our gaze back to what is in our glass today, how is it?

Old Forester 1920 - Prohibition Style

Purchase info: $53.99 for a 750 mL at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: 57.5% ABV

Nose: Fruit, leather, brown sugar oak and a light mintiness.

Mouth: Sweet honey, mint, oak, black pepper, baking spices, bubblegum, and leather.

Finish: Spicy, long and warm with lingering bubblegum, fruit, and baking spices.

Thoughts: I think that this is probably the best bourbon Brown-Forman produces. And easily was one of my favorite releases of 2016. It is an amazingly well-balanced bourbon, and I can find no faults with it. I love this. I think it is nearly perfect. It has everything I want in a bourbon: sweetness, richness, and spiciness. Plus it is very drinkable neat even at 115 proof...well maybe that is a fault. I'm kidding, but only a little.

Catching Up With Old Friends

December 20, 2016 Eric Burke

Four Roses Small Batch and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, my old friends.

It's the season of holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Festivus, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and...I continually marvel that some people are offended by Happy Holidays when this is literally the alternative if you want to be kind enough to wish someone blessings for the holiday they celebrate instead of the one that you do.

But whichever of the many options you celebrate at this time of year, it is often a time to gather with friends and family. For many people, that means visiting with people that you see only once a year, or even once every few years. It's a nice time to reunite with old friends, even if it just with a card, dropped in the mail.

As such, I've chosen to catch up with a couple of friends of mine tonight. It's been a while since we really spent some time together and I'm eager to visit with them and see how they are doing. As they were previously some of my favorites, I really hope they are still doing well. And yes, of course, I'm talking about bourbon here.

Tonight I'll be catching up with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, who I haven't seen since August 2013, and Four Roses Small Batch who was last treated very unfairly by being compared to two Limited Small Batch Releases in January 2013.

Four Roses Small Batch

Purchase Info: $31.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Viking Liquor Barrel, Prior Lake, MN

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Ripe, juicy berries, almonds, and mint. This really reminds me of an alcoholic herbal tea blend.

Mouth: Follows the nose with ripe berries and herbal mint. Brown sugar, vanilla and a hint of oak that comes along for the ride.

Finish: Medium to short, but settles nicely in the chest with lingering sweet fruit.

Thoughts: Not to get too deep into the Four Roses marketing speak, but I've always found this to be a very mellow bourbon. Easy to drink with nice fruit and herbal flavors. I'm still a big fan of this one.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Purchase Info: $74.99 for a 750 mL bottle at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center Gift Shop (September).

Details: 69.7% ABV...you'll probably want at least a little water with this one.

Nose: Nutty oak, Cinnamon candies, caramel, vanilla, and baking spices.

Mouth: This is a hot one that you don't really want to drink neat or hold in your mouth very long, as might be guessed at very near to 140 proof. Beyond heat is a sweet bourbon with lots of caramel, nutty oak, and baking spices.

Finish: This finish is long and very warm with lingering oak and spices.

Thoughts: I've been enjoying the heck out of this one since I opened it. At this proof and price, I don't go to it often, but that's because I don't want to empty it too fast. Big, big fan of this.

Bar Review: The Silver Dollar, Louisville, KY

November 22, 2016 Eric Burke

A shot of my glass on the bar of the Silver Dollar.

I don't usually review bars. Partly because I live in suburban Minnesota and there are few really good bourbon bars near enough for me to frequent them without a half hour to forty-five-minute drive afterward. So when I'm at home, I tend to have my bourbon in my home.

When I travel, on the other hand, I go out more. Seriously why wouldn't you? That's part of the reason you are away from home in the first place, to not to do what you do at home.

When I visit most places in the country, I tend to find a brewery taproom to settle down in or at least a bar with a good selection of local things on tap. But when I go to Kentucky, it's all about the bourbon. I try to hit at least one new place every time I'm there. But there is one place I visit every single time.

My friend Fred introduced me to the Silver Dollar on one of my February road trips to someplace without snow. I was passing through Louisville on my to someplace theoretically warmer than Minnesota, and we made plans to meet for supper and a drink. The weather outside was cold and rainy, but inside, the warm and friendly atmosphere made me immediately feel welcome as I waited for everyone to arrive. This is the kind of place that has big Christmas lights on the walls and where the music comes from a vinyl record.

I was impressed by that first visit, and when my wife and I found ourself back in Louisville on my birthday, it was the first place I thought of to get supper. Smoked brisket and creamy mac and cheese. Mmmmm. Add in a glass or two of bourbon from one of their privately selected barrels, and it made for a perfect birthday meal.

I've gone back every time I've been to Louisville since. Sometimes more than once. When I have it, the food is always good, and I always search out a private barrel selection for my glass. They often have more than one barrel of whatever they've got. I always ask the bartender which they prefer, and I've never been disappointed when I followed their advice.

I can't recommend this place highly enough. If you've been there, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, you need to remedy that on your next trip to Louisville.

The Silver Dollar can be found online at http://www.whiskeybythedrink.com/

My Wandering Eye: Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976

November 15, 2016 Eric Burke

In case you’re new to the "My Wandering Eye..." series, let me recap. Bourbon prices are creeping up. So much so that even mediocre products have hit the range where they compete price-wise with other types of aged spirits. A $50 750 ml bottle of Cognac or Armagnac doesn’t sound outrageous next to a $50 Old Forester 1870 or a $50 375 mL of the Jim Beam Harvest collection. As a response to this, my eye has started wandering down other aisles of the liquor store. Sometimes I save money. Sometimes I spend the same amount. And other times...

I recently turned 40. Forty is a pretty big birthday. One of the milestones where you take stock of your life and make sure it is where you want it to be. I remember a couple quotes from a terminally ill Steve Jobs.

“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

and

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

After taking stock of my life, I realized that though my life is pretty good right now, there were a few things I wanted to accomplish yet. If my life ended today, I wouldn't be doing all of the things I want to do.

I recently lost one of my biggest clients. On my birthday, they were found guilty of fraud and are no longer allowed to do business in the state of Minnesota. It's kind of a big deal for my bottom line, but it has allowed me to take stock of where I'm at and realize that though I love being creative, design is only one facet of it. There is so much more that I want to do.

To that end, in addition to my design business, I'm starting a new business venture (details to come soon). I've taken on a freelance writing gig. Basically, I'm in the process of making my freelance design business just one of many ways I make money and express my creativity.

It's a scary and yet satisfying time. It's scary because I've been doing one thing professionally for the last decade and doing anything else is a little uncomfortable. It's scary because I am flexing different parts of my mental muscles so that I might do and create new things. And yet that last one is also the most satisfying part of it all. In the end, I may have to go back to design full time. I may have to pound the pavement and hustle up new clients. Who knows? The future has yet to be written, and I'm just going to do what I love so that I make sure that I am living my life doing what it is that I'd want to do should any particular day end up being my last. At forty, I figure that my story is only half written. It's time to start making sure the second half is the more satisfying one.

In the spirit of the milestone that a round number birthday is, I decided that I wanted to buy myself something special. Due to the previous examples of the "My Wandering Eye..." series, I knew that I was really starting to enjoy brandy. So when I saw an Armagnac on the shelf at one of my local liquor stores distilled the year I was born? Well, I had to get it.

Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976

Purchase info: $159.99 for a 750 mL bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Details: Distilled in 1976, blended and bottled November 2015. Bas Armagnac.

Nose: Caramel and brown sugar, ripe fruit, herbal notes and rich leather.

Mouth: Caramel, brown sugar, mint, dried fruit, leather, and oak.

Finish: Sweet caramel coats your throat before making room for a very slight warmth and some lingering oak and herbal notes.

Thoughts: This is a fantastic drink. Worthy of celebrating a milestone. Sweet, fruity and a real treat for the bourbon lover.

Blog

Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Single Barrel, Ace Spirits

Rebel Yell Single Barrel, 10-Year-Old Bourbon

Old Forester 1920 - Prohibition Style

Four Roses Small Batch

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Chateau de Laubade Armagnac, 1976