Knob Creek Bourbon (1L)

Kentucky straight bourbon aged nine years in new charred oak barrels, Knob Creek is made by Beam Suntory at their distillery in Clermont. The mashbill leans heavily toward corn, as bourbon law requires, but the extended aging in char adds layers of oak influence that set this expression apart from younger bourbons on the shelf.

Expect a full-bodied pour with notes of caramel, oak, and spice, the kind of bourbon that works equally well in a rocks glass with a single large ice cube or as the anchor in a Manhattan. The nine-year maturation gives it enough wood contact to feel substantial without tipping into the woody excess that can plague older bourbons.