Ahh, Sweet, Smoky, Knob Creek

I am pensively sipping Knob Creek in that annoyingly pretentious way where one sips, holds the highball up to the light, watches the amber legs streak down from the rim, swirl, repeat. I’m particularly interested in concentrating on the complex banquet of flavors, caramel sweetness, background of earthy fragrance, hint of wood. It also fights for control of my central nervous system, which says "Stop! Stop! For the love of Christ, any more and I'll shut down and leave you staggering in an East LA drainage ditch.” I don't want to stumble into the infected, raging torrent of the Los Angeles River no matter how invincible Knob Creek makes me feel, so I put my glass down to write this.

Knob Creek is a small batch bourbon produced by the makers of Jim Beam. This is not the white-trash Jim Beam ripoff of the white-trash standard, Jack Daniels. The small batch collection is a truly distinctive line which includes Knob Creek, Booker’s, Baker’s and Basil Hayden. At $26-$33 a bottle, Knob Creek is the cheapest of the line, but does not at all detract from its rich, distinctive flavor.

Knob Creek is packaged differently than other burbons, utilizing a softened rectangular bottle, wax sealed, with a modern label, using bold fonts and earthtones to compliment the dark, gold tinged tan of the burbon. The nose is hearty, nutty and sweet, with overtones of burnt...well, I can't tell you. They don't specifically specify what type of wood barrels they age Knob Creek in, just that it is aged in bona fide wood. The site likens the taste to sweet fragrances infused with deep oak, so I'll assume oak barrels are used in the process.

Clocking in at a ham-fisted 100 proof, this is the second weakest burbon of the line. Bookers boasts a DUI inspiring 121-127 proof, being the only burbon drawn straight from the barrel to the bottle with no dillution or filtration. Knob Creek is aged nine years, which draws extra sugars from the barrels. Indeed, I have tasted each in the line, and Knob Creek is the smoothest and sweetest, despite its proof. It will make you draw a breath if you drink it straight, and you will feel a raw tingle, but it is much less pronounced than any poorly produced 80 proof liquor.

I drink it neat, but many prefer a splash of water or ice. Philosophically, I have never cut my liquor because I like the full impact of the flavor, which means I’m willing to put up with the full impact of the alcohol…but it is well worth it. If you’re not driving. Knob Creek pairs well with a smooth, Dominican Republic cigar, and is sweet enough to hold its own as an after dinner drink.