Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye

[wadewood]

how do them #flavorpackets taste?

[kevinbrink]

3 hours ago, wadewood said:

how do them #flavorpackets taste?

I'm enjoying it Wade..... despite the labeling.

[briankeith513]

So I've had 2 separate pours of this from 2 separate bottles, on 2 separate occasions.  This is a fine rye whiskey imo.  It has a burst of flavor, and nice rye spice.  I really enjoyed it, and just purchased a bottle.  At just $59.99(at the store that I went to), over 8 years, and cask strength....its a no brainer purchase.  I'm trying to figure out what other rye that brings this kind of value to the table....cask strength, at least 8 years, around the $60-$80 price point.

[fosmith]

1 hour ago, briankeith513 said:

So I've had 2 separate pours of this from 2 separate bottles, on 2 separate occasions.  This is a fine rye whiskey imo.  It has a burst of flavor, and nice rye spice.  I really enjoyed it, and just purchased a bottle.  At just $59.99(at the store that I went to), over 8 years, and cask strength....its a no brainer purchase.  I'm trying to figure out what other rye that brings this kind of value to the table....cask strength, at least 8 years, around the $60-$80 price point.

At the upper end of the price point but Whistle Pig 10 year store picks are awesome.  Cask strength unlike the standard 10 yr. 

[ThirstyinOhio]

3 hours ago, briankeith513 said:

So I've had 2 separate pours of this from 2 separate bottles, on 2 separate occasions.  This is a fine rye whiskey imo.  It has a burst of flavor, and nice rye spice.  I really enjoyed it, and just purchased a bottle.  At just $59.99(at the store that I went to), over 8 years, and cask strength....its a no brainer purchase.  I'm trying to figure out what other rye that brings this kind of value to the table....cask strength, at least 8 years, around the $60-$80 price point.

while not cask strength, Pikesville is pretty close to the KC rye, at least my bottle which is 119 proof

Edited May 24, 2018 by ThirstyinOhio

[briankeith513]

3 minutes ago, ThirstyinOhio said:

while not cask strength, Pikesville is pretty close to the KC rye, at least my bottle which is 119 proof

Cool, I know that one is close, but that one is only 6yrs old, I believe.  I do want to try this one again though, as I remember enjoying a pour.

[kevinbrink]

Asked Beam/KC about the "Straight Designation" here is the sresponse:

Hayley Gregory replied:

Hi Kevin,

Like our original, award-winning Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey, Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is indeed a straight rye whiskey. Aged for nine years in the oldest rackhouse on our distillery grounds, Warehouse A, Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is our boldest rye expression to-date, and is bottled unfiltered at its natural proof of 119.6. We are thrilled with how the expression has been received so far, and are proud to share that the release was named “Best Rye Whiskey” at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. We hope you enjoy this limited-time offering and look forward to your thoughts!

Hayley 
Knob Creek Customer Care Representative

[JoeTerp]

On 5/24/2018 at 9:15 AM, fosmith said:

At the upper end of the price point but Whistle Pig 10 year store picks are awesome.  Cask strength unlike the standard 10 yr. 

I think I usually see them closer to $90 then $80.

[fosmith]

7 minutes ago, JoeTerp said:

I think I usually see them closer to $90 then $80.

I've seen them from $70 up to $100

[Clueby]

Do we know if there will be different batches at different proofs?  Right now, all of this on the market is "cask strength" at 119.6, correct?  I guess that's one big batch.  "Cask strength" doesn't necessarily mean that is what proof it came out of the barrel. 

[JoeTerp]

On 5/25/2018 at 6:43 PM, Clueby said:

Do we know if there will be different batches at different proofs?  Right now, all of this on the market is "cask strength" at 119.6, correct?  I guess that's one big batch.  "Cask strength" doesn't necessarily mean that is what proof it came out of the barrel. 

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a really big batch.  I don't know the bottle counts but I'd have to imagine that the Booker's batches are pretty huge.

[fosmith]

8 hours ago, JoeTerp said:

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a really big batch.  I don't know the bottle counts but I'd have to imagine that the Booker's batches are pretty huge.

I recall reading somewhere that Booker's batches are around 350 barrels.  Probably 65,000 bottles or so...

[kcgumbohead]

On 5/27/2018 at 1:32 AM, JoeTerp said:

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a really big batch.  I don't know the bottle counts but I'd have to imagine that the Booker's batches are pretty huge.

I'll take a really good large batch over a mediocre single barrel or small batch everytime, its all about what winds up in the glass.

[smokinjoe]

51 minutes ago, kcgumbohead said:

I'll take a really good large batch over a mediocre single barrel or small batch everytime, its all about what winds up in the glass.

Such great advice.  Too many Single Barrel selections, too many times, carry an undeserved reputation of being inherently better than the batched version.  

[PiraSea]

Finally found some of this Cask Strength Rye... very very good. Its got a sweetness to it that really stands out among ryes... much like the EHT Rye. It definitely stands out among ryes being that so many now are bought from MGP.

[The Black Tot]

I really like this one. If I could get it for 58 bucks I'd be buying a 12 case. A really fantastic drinker.

[elmossle]

I just purchased my first bottle of this today. Can't wait to try it but have far too many open before I can do that. Paid a little more than I wanted to for it but thought it was worth the risk. I am wondering how close to Booker's Rye this will taste?

[Paddy]

I agree with Paul.  Needs a few drops to reduce the tannins, and turns into a well balanced pour with the oak frame still very much intact.

 

Big, bold finish holds on, and comes in waves!

Edited June 7, 2018 by Paddy

[kevinbrink]

22 hours ago, elmossle said:

I just purchased my first bottle of this today. Can't wait to try it but have far too many open before I can do that. Paid a little more than I wanted to for it but thought it was worth the risk. I am wondering how close to Booker's Rye this will taste?

None close different animals, the KC is very good but even when I wanted to hate it I have to admit that Bookers rye is among the best examples of distilled grain juice aged in barrels I have had. I can say many nice things about this KC LE Rye, it is very well priced in today's market, it is kind of a throwback flavor profile wise, it is flat out tasty, but on par with Booker's Rye it is not. 

Edited June 8, 2018 by kevinbrink

[briankeith513]

None close different animals, the KC is very good but even when I wanted to hate it I have to admit that Bookers rye is among the best examples of distilled grain juice aged in barrels I have had. I can say many nice things about this KC LE Rye, it is very well priced in today's market, it is kind of a throwback flavor profile wise, it is flat out tasty, but on par with Booker's Rye it is not. 

I don’t think any Rye is on par with Bookers Rye. My favorite Ryes would be Bookers Rye, Van Winkle 13 yr, Thomas Handy, Black Prince, Kentucky Owl Rye......and then others like Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye, Redemption 10 Barrel Proof, And this Knob Creek. Not sure where I’d put Pikesville and MidWinters.

[kevinbrink]

2 minutes ago, briankeith513 said:

 

I don’t think any Rye is on par with Bookers Rye. My favorite Ryes would be Bookers Rye, Van Winkle 13 yr, Thomas Handy, Black Prince, Kentucky Owl Rye......and then others like Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye, Redemption 10 Barrel Proof, And this Knob Creek. Not sure where I’d put Pikesville and MidWinters.

 

I have had many of these with the exception of Michter's since they are a garbage company who I will not support and Black Prince because that price is more than I'm willing to spend on whiskey, I would say that for me the KC rye is on par with all of the others you listed but different in terms of quality, my favorite Redemptions were actually the 7 and 8 year ones, I found the 9 and 10 year ones to be more oak driven than I like in my MGP rye. Flavor is very subjective though, two of my favorite ryes of all time are Hochstadter's Vatted SRW and a Private Selection High West Double Rye, they probably wouldn't be in everyone's list but I would take both over most of what you listed based purely one how much I enjoy them. 

[CUfan99]

On 5/24/2018 at 5:20 PM, kevinbrink said:

Asked Beam/KC about the "Straight Designation" here is the sresponse:

Hayley Gregory replied:

Hi Kevin,

Like our original, award-winning Knob Creek Straight Rye Whiskey, Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is indeed a straight rye whiskey. Aged for nine years in the oldest rackhouse on our distillery grounds, Warehouse A, Knob Creek Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is our boldest rye expression to-date, and is bottled unfiltered at its natural proof of 119.6. We are thrilled with how the expression has been received so far, and are proud to share that the release was named “Best Rye Whiskey” at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. We hope you enjoy this limited-time offering and look forward to your thoughts!

Hayley 
Knob Creek Customer Care Representative

Would you please reply to Haley and ask if she would submit to a quick polygraph test? 

[briankeith513]

I have had many of these with the exception of Michter's since they are a garbage company who I will not support and Black Prince because that price is more than I'm willing to spend on whiskey, I would say that for me the KC rye is on par with all of the others you listed but different in terms of quality, my favorite Redemptions were actually the 7 and 8 year ones, I found the 9 and 10 year ones to be more oak driven than I like in my MGP rye. Flavor is very subjective though, two of my favorite ryes of all time are Hochstadter's Vatted SRW and a Private Selection High West Double Rye, they probably wouldn't be in everyone's list but I would take both over most of what you listed based purely one how much I enjoy them. 

I understand that you don’t like Michter’s as a company, but that Barrel Proof Rye of theirs is delicious. As far as the black prince, I just paid about $12 for a pour. But you are right, flavor is very subjective.

[birdie]

$12 a pour for Black Prince, that is awesome, only place I found in that would offer a pour was $55 for a 1 oz.

 

I have heard that it is really good, waiting on my local LS to put it on sale

[briankeith513]

$12 a pour for Black Prince, that is awesome, only place I found in that would offer a pour was $55 for a 1 oz.
 
I have heard that it is really good, waiting on my local LS to put it on sale ????

Lol yeah, the price is ridiculous, and I’d never buy it at over $200, but it is very good. Bookers Rye is my favorite, and I had 2 opportunities to purchase it at the $300 retail, but it was before I ever tasted it or the reviews came out, so I had sticker shock. If I ever came across that again at $300, I’d get it right away.....but of course that won’t be happening lol