Standard Knob Creek SIngle Barrel

[0895]

“Perfect” Manhattans can be quite good sometimes when the mood is right.

[Clueby]

Never tried a "perfect". Guess I need to shop for some dry V.

[HoustonNit]

I didn’t think dry vermouth to a Manhattan or anytime of whiskey drunk was a thing.

[Harry in WashDC]

7 hours ago, fosmith said:

A Manhattan with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth is actually a thing.  It's called a "Perfect Manhattan".  Your bartender should have known the difference. 

Thanks.  I had no idear.  And, if they taste like what I got last night, I'll stick with Boulevardiers when I want to deviate from the norm by adding a third spirit.

[mbroo5880i]

2 hours ago, Harry in WashDC said:

Thanks.  I had no idear.  And, if they taste like what I got last night, I'll stick with Boulevardiers when I want to deviate from the norm by adding a third spirit.

Not too stray too much from the KC SiB topic, but my Manhattan recipe is 2:1 Bourbon/Sweet Vermouth with Bitters and a splash of Frangelico and, of course, a few cherries.  Maybe that makes it something other than an Manhattan but I find it quite enjoyable.

 

On the KC front, I have seen the 9 year show up again in stores.  I know of a few stores that have KC SiB store picks.  I will be out tomorrow so I will check more stores just out of curiosity. 

Edited July 11, 2021 by mbroo5880i

[Harry in WashDC]

37 minutes ago, mbroo5880i said:

Not too stray too much from the KC SiB topic, but my Manhattan recipe is 2:1 Bourbon/Sweet Vermouth with Bitters and a splash of Frangelico and, of course, a few cherries.  Maybe that makes it something other than an Manhattan but I find it quite enjoyable.

 

On the KC front, I have seen the 9 year show up again in stores.  I know of a few stores that have KC SiB store picks.  I will be out tomorrow so I will check more stores just out of curiosity. 

OH GOOD!  We've had an opened bottle of Frangelico for awhile, and now I have a way to use some of it up.

[BigRich]

On 7/9/2021 at 10:54 PM, Harry in WashDC said:

Got home from an early dinner at a countryside restaurant we go to.  Ordered a "Manhattan on the rocks, and use the Bulliet Rye., please."  Tasted.  SOMEbody had added dry vermouth to a rye+red vermouth, and the proportions were off.  How off?  I almost NEVER send back a drink - having been a cook in a bar during grad school and my wife having been a waitress during the same time (and she got better grades - go figure.).  Sent it back.  Mixer came out to tell us she'd always made them with a shot of dry.  Anybody out there ever heard that?  I was nice and gave the mixer my recipe - 2 rye to 1 red V plus healthy Angostura and a barspoon of Maraschino juice with ice.  The replacement was drinkable.

 

SO!  Why is this post/diatribe/kvetch in this thread?  Because when I got home, I needed to cleanse my palate.  Pulled down a KC SiB 120 (with no identifying labels telling me where or when I bought it) and poured it into a small OF glass chuck full of ice.  After sucking it down, I logged on and HERE I AM!!

 

Thanks!  And, my palate is almost back to normal although my head is a little fuzzy.

 

SOME OBSERVATIONS - I now have little bits of black wax/plastic all over my utility room floor from opening the KC by pulling the tab that sticks out near the top.  Forgot that we all had discussed the best way to open these some months ago on another thread.  Plus, my pocket knife AND my wine cork knife were not close at hand, and pliers, which WERE right there, seemed like overkill.  At least the ice cubes were cold.

 

OH!!  How it taste?  Like cold KC.  Is one of my faves which is why I own some dozen or so variations of KC.

I think the best way to open one would be to put the bottle in a vise grip on the work bench.  Then pull the tab with one hand while other hand hold the hose to the shop vac.  Kind of think the vacuum clippers they had the barbershop when I was a kid.   Really good bourbon, really shitty wax. 

[fishnbowljoe]

7 hours ago, BigRich said:

I think the best way to open one would be to put the bottle in a vise grip on the work bench.  Then pull the tab with one hand while other hand hold the hose to the shop vac.  Kind of think the vacuum clippers they had the barbershop when I was a kid.   Really good bourbon, really shitty wax. 

A little thread drift here, but I’m a moderator, so what the heck.

 

 I’ve had numerous wax topped bottles of different bourbons over the years that were a pain in the a** to open. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to purchase a few of the old gold wax topped ETL’s. To this day, those remain the toughest wax topped bottles I ever opened. The wax was extremely hard and brittle. Whenever I opened one, the wax broke into small pieces and flew all over the place. Needless to say, I much prefer the current gold foil bottles. FWIW, I have ETL in my glass now. Reading the posts here, and sipping ETL  is what brought back the memory.

 

Anyway, carry on.

 

Biba! Joe

[Harry in WashDC]

14 hours ago, BigRich said:

I think the best way to open one would be to put the bottle in a vise grip on the work bench.  Then pull the tab with one hand while other hand hold the hose to the shop vac.  Kind of think the vacuum clippers they had the barbershop when I was a kid.   Really good bourbon, really shitty wax. 

Shop vac.  Yeah, I have one.  Use it maybe once every five years.  NOW, I have a reason to move it up front!!

[Kepler]

The Knob Creek bottles are messy but to me the worst wax top bottles to open are the double layer dipped Maker's Mark special editions and some of the Willett produced wax tops.

[mbroo5880i]

I ran across a few bottles of KCSiB at the local Kroger.  They haven't had any recently so I assume they must have received them in their most recent delivery since they also had several other bottles that I have not seen in a while.  I don't recall seeing any 9 year on the shelf.  However, for whatever reason, when this store gets 9 year the shelf gets cleared quickly.