Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested for about 15 minutes.
Distillery: James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Proof: 113.
Age: 9 Year bourbon & 7 Year rye.
Mash bill: (30%) 75% Corn/13% Rye/12% Malted Barley & (70%) 55% Rye/35% Corn/10% Malted Barley.
Price: $45.
Appearance: Golden caramel.
Nose
The nose starts with chewy caramel, rich toffee, peanut brittle, and butterscotch with herbal flavors of green tea, sage, and cloves. Underneath is a layer of peaches, red berries, orange peel, vanilla bean, and oak. The rye brings out a sharp cinnamon spice that’s upfront but never gets in the way. As the session continues, the caramel flavors become sweeter with more toasted oak and green tea, with the red berries turning to subtle cherries.
Palate
With a medium viscous mouthfeel, the palate is filled with flavors of caramel, toffee, peanut brittle, butterscotch, sage, cloves, peaches, and orange peel. A big spicy pop of cinnamon spice covers the palate, bringing vanilla and toasted oak mid-sip. There’s not as much fruit here as on the nose, but I love the barrel character and Beam nuttiness mixed with the herbaceous rye flavors. The cinnamon spice reminds me that this whiskey has a considerable amount of rye, yet it’s well-balanced enough to keep the profile interesting without overshadowing the other flavors.
Finish
Cinnamon spice lingers in your cheeks, along with toffee, peanut brittle, sage, cloves, soft leather, and pipe tobacco, for a long and very enjoyable finish.
Conclusion
Knob Creek Bourbon x Rye is as good as I’d hoped it would be. Maybe a little better. Beam did a great job with this profile, and I’m glad it was bottled at 113 proof instead of 100. The combined whiskeys in this release have more intensity and flavor than the flagship Knob Creek 9 Bourbon and Knob Creek 7 Year Rye do individually. I haven’t used this to make a cocktail yet, but I can imagine Bourbon x Rye making a great Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. For now, Bourbon x Rye is a limited release, but if it’s successful, I can see it being a permanent addition to the Knob Creek lineup. If you’re already a fan of the two Knob Creek whiskeys that make up this release, purchasing Bourbon x Rye is a no-brainer.
Rating: 6.8/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all-time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
