whiskeyfortheages, Author at Whiskey for the Ages

Knob Creek Single Barrel ISLD Select Bourbon 2

Posted on 14-June-202128-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Knob Creek Single Barrel ISLD Select Bourbon 2 Review

reviewed 08-June-2020

BACK STORY:

In early 2019, representatives from Idaho State Liquor Division (ISLD) and bartenders from several Idaho bars visited the Knob Creek Distillery in Clermont, KY to select barrels for exclusive distribution to Idaho whiskey patrons and connoisseurs. During the Private Barrel Selection event three additional bourbons and two ryes were chosen. This iteration was selected by ISLD Deputy Director, Procurement and Distribution, Ray Homen.

KNOB CREEK SINGLE BARREL ISLD SELECT BOURBON 2 REVIEW SUMMARY:

Knob Creek Single Barrel ISLD Select Bourbon 2 (KC SiB ISLD Slct Bourbon #2) is another bottle hidden in the back of our bunker. This whiskey has an amazing nose with plenty of heat and spice to entertain the palate and a long warm finish. While I am certain this bottle is no longer available for sale in stores, it serves as another reason to justify a purchase when a Knob Creek store pick whiskey is found in your store, don’t hesitate to take it home.

KNOB CREEK SINGLE BARREL ISLD SELECT BOURBON 2 VITAL STATS:

– Category: Private Barrel Select Bourbon, Selected by Idaho State Liquor Division staff
– Region: Clermont, KY
– Distillery: Knob Creek
– Country: United States
– Mash Bill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
– Barrel Char: #4
– Barrel entry proof: 125
– Barcode (Scan): 080686192367
– Cask Type: New American White Oak
– Cask Number: 7997c
– Warehouse X, Floor 4, Rack 28, Tier 2
– Vintage Year: 25-March-2004
– Age: 15 Years
– ABV: 60% (120 Proof)
– Price: $59.95 USD (2020 – Idaho)

Learn more at Knob Creek Single Barrel Experience.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared the whiskey neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

KNOB CREEK SINGLE BARREL ISLD SELECT BOURBON 2 NOSE:

KC SiB ISLD Slct Bourbon 2 has an amazing nose. But be forewarned, heavy draws can give an aggressive ethanol nip. With cautious nosing I can pull sherry and light fruit tree blossoms mixed in roasted corn and dusty grain. There’s also some red berry nectar and tart caramel apple topped with spices of cinnamon, ginger, pepper and savory rye, all of which are backed by the aroma of gingerbread and the sensation of hot cinnamon-apple compote. Additional sweetness comes in as vanilla custard, simple syrup, and caramelized sugar but they are not strong. I also get a hint of peanut, sweet fresh cut oak, scents of smoky toasted wood and a touch of old worn leather.

KNOB CREEK SINGLE BARREL ISLD SELECT BOURBON 2 PALATE:

KC SiB ISLD Slct Bourbon 2 doesn’t quite taste like it smells. However, I attribute this to the masking prickly ethanol burn I get in each sip. I do pick up a bit of an herbal aftertaste, but it’s more like faint drying corn and dusty grain. There is an exotic fruit leather component as well – like crushed currant, plum and fig. Spices of cinnamon, candied ginger, pepper and rye dominate while as on the nose, sweets of light vanilla, simple syrup, and caramelized sugar are less pronounced. And as each sip lingers, there is plenty of spicy dry old oak and flavors of sweet and smoky toasted wood.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
KC SiB ISLD Slct Bourbon 2 is well blended and because of the continuous prickly heat, a bit challenging to pick out individual flavors. Still, this bourbon is viscous and creamy the longer it is held. In the Glencairn, each sip releases quick falling legs which guide the remaining liquid back to the mahogany colored pool. What is left behind is a full ring with only a few irregularly spaced droplets clinging to an inverted crown.

KNOB CREEK SINGLE BARREL ISLD SELECT BOURBON 2 FINISH:

KC SiB ISLD Slct Bourbon 2 has a long warm finish which passes many of the well blended flavors over the palate and into the throat. I sense sherry and the herbalness of dusty grain along with exotic dark fruit leather. But spices of cinnamon, candied ginger and pepper shine through making this an almost savory bourbon. As on the nose and palate, there’s little sweetness; maybe a scant trace of woody caramel. This is not a wood forward whiskey and what is there lingers as light and dry smoky sweet toasted oak. And when the last dram is downed, the memory of soft and dry oak sawdust wafts from the empty Glencairn.

MY RATING: 90/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
While I am certain this bottle is no longer available for sale in stores, it serves as another reason to justify a Knob Creek Store Pick purchase.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Knob Creek.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2 High Proof Bourbon Review

Posted on 12-June-202112-June-2021 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2 Review

reviewed 10-June-2021

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2:

This second tasting of our Whiskey for the Ages Neck Pour High Proof Infinity Bourbon (WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2) is in a word AMAZING. The nose is inviting with fruit sweetness, spices and oak which are all present on the palate along with lots of pleasant heat. This pour finishes medium long, with nice spicy sweet warmth … I look forward to sampling the next full bottle to discover how this Infinity Bottle Project continues to evolve.

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2 VITAL STATS:

Category: Infinity Bottle Bourbon
Region: a blend of high proof bourbons from around the USA
Source: See the table below
Infinity Blended Mash Bill*: 73.85% corn, 7.65% rye, 5.94% wheat 12.56% malted barley
Barrel Char*: #3.4
Barrel entry proof*: 124
Age: nas due to many entries from different bottles Infinity Blend
ABV*: 61.72% (123.44 Proof)

*Calculated

Click to learn more about Infinity Bourbon Projects.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, three ounces were poured into a Glencairn and then enjoyed neat.

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2 NOSE:

At first waft, WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2 has a strong ethanol bite accompanied by scents of sherry, fruit tree blossoms and faint sweet corn. Then come aromas of ripe blackberries, tart caramel apples and sweet cherries in allspice, powdered ginger and white pepper. The fruit sweetness is bolstered by brown sugared graham cracker crust, faint milk chocolate, rich vanilla, brown sugar, buttery caramel, and maple syrup. Continued nosing brings light fresh-cut sawdust and smoky-sweet barrel char. This is an inviting nose.

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2 PALATE:

I sense alcohol heat on the tongue when the first sip is held. When the mouth acclimates, the fruit aromas along with some new ones pass through to the palate: sherry, wheaty grain, blackberries, sweet Montmorency cherries and plums. Allspice, ginger and pepper are all amplified and cinnamon red hots make an appearance as well. And so do the sweets: brown sugared graham cracker crust, with rich vanilla, buttery brown sugar caramel, and maple syrup provide a nice home for a hint of toasted almonds. All these flavors dominate as dry old oak and smoky-sweet barrel char mix with the soft essence of old leather chaps.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2 is solid an well blended. At first sip it is quite silken, but it becomes rough and gritty after a few moments. In the Glencairn, many fat and thin long lasting clinging legs linger. When they finally do break, the liquid returns to the mahogany colored pool, leaving a fat droplet crown which lasts much longer than one might expect.

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2 FINISH:

WftA Neck Pour Infinity R2 has a medium long finish which builds to a slow and soft wheaty burn. The sweet cherries and plums fade in on cinnamon, and pepper. The sweets of rich vanilla and buttery caramel are subdued as are the toasted almonds. But now dry oak and the smoky sweetness and leather are more noticeable. And when the last dram is downed, caramel covered oak sawdust wafts from the empty Glencairn.

MY RATING: 93/100

Will I continue with the Infinity Bottle Project? YES
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

While it is impossible for true comparisons because of the nature infinity blends, the score shown above is similar to what I gave after my reviews of Booker’s 2021-01 Donohoe’s Batch, Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof B8, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A118, Larceny Barrel Proof B520, Maker’s Mark Private Select – Idaho Director’s Cut 6, and Weller Full Proof.

WHISKEY FOR THE AGES NECK POUR HIGH PROOF INFINTY BOURBON REVIEW 2 TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Hillrock Solera Bourbon Review

Posted on 07-June-202109-May-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Hillrock Solera Bourbon Review

Original review written June 1, 2021

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

This bourbon surprised me in many ways, and while I don’t think I’d keep it on hand in my bunker, I’d certainly splurge occasionally for this warm, fruity treat! 92/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Hudson Valley, New York
– Distiller: Hillrock Estate Distillery; blend of sourced bourbon (undisclosed source) and Hillrock Estate distilled bourbon
– Classification: Special Finish/Blended Bourbon Whiskey (finished in sherry casks)
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: unknown char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 46.3% (92.6 proof)
– Bottle reviewed is from Barrel No. 45
– Price: $79.95 USD in Idaho

Find more information at hillrockdistillery.com

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn with my sister as well as my father/fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

Carry Hillrock Solera in a flask while trudging through a snowy wood, with pine trees towering over you. While this bourbon may not be the warmest or richest bourbon to enjoy while you’re cold, the flavors are unique enough to distract from the cold. It’s soft, like the snow beneath your feet, and it could certainly bring back a bit of summery fruits to you in the middle of winter.

Photo by Laura Lauch on Unsplash

NOSE:

Soft grains, particularly wheat (maybe even the winter wheat you taste in a Maker’s Mark product) come across the nose first. But there is a lot of flavors to be found here, all dark but I don’t know if I would necessarily say rich. There is a dusting of dark brown sugar, but there is more of a chocolate-covered orange or maybe an acidic berry. But they have definitely been frozen first, as the milk chocolate coating isn’t very strong. I get a wood, but I don’t think that it’s oak. I think it is more pine in origin, and I’d say further that it is a wet pine. There is a smattering of white pepper, dates, and even molasses.

All of these flavors sound like they would lend themselves to a rich aroma, but I think because of the pine, it remains just at dark, as pine is a rather gentle wood. The alcohol isn’t strong per say, but deep inhales can give you a little zing every now and then.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Very, very soft. A bit of a rasp comes at the back of the palate, but otherwise, it’s gentle and welcoming.
– Balance: The wheat flavor evens out the rest of the palate quite well, making all of the sweetness meld together and pair great with the wood and hint of spice.
– Visual: Auburn in color, there is a very defined inverted crown. The droplets fall quickly, but there are many.

– Taste: That chocolate-covered berry from the nose (decidedly not orange) is what I taste first, and there might be a bit of cherry here too. I think the wheat is still here also, contributing a softness that makes it slightly challenging for many other flavors to emerge. I find graham cracker crust, vanilla, a simple syrup, and on top of that a fruit syrup that you could add to a club soda. Meaning, it’s a touch artificial, but I will say that the sweetness is not obnoxious or overpowering. In fact, I quite like it.

The pine is still here from the nose also, but I do think there is more oak here on the palate too! It adds a richness that perhaps the nose was lacking, and with all of these flavors, it is certainly welcome. The alcohol is mild throughout, save perhaps for a slight raspy tickle just at the back of the palate that lifts the other flavors. Doing a Kentucky chew awakens some white pepper, caramel, and a hint of peach juice. It isn’t dangerous, and at just over 92 proof, I wouldn’t expect it to be. With this bourbon, doing a Kentucky chew is fun, and I highly recommend it.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. It’s there in warmth and a bit of flavor, but it truly is quite mild.
– Between Sips: I think a bit of blueberry and milk chocolate linger between the sips, with the wheat surrounding both and making everything very soft.

– No More: The fruit syrup/club soda addition flavor I noted in the palate evolves the further I get into the glass, becoming almost like a port wine – light-hearted, but still deep and flavorful.

The empty Glencairn is rich and oaky, but still with that pine that has remained insistent throughout the entire pour. It’s warm with lingering sweetness, and a great finish to a pretty great bourbon.

WORTH THE PRICE?

$80 is a big ask, certainly, but this is not a bourbon you come across very often (at least we don’t here in Idaho). While maybe too much to seek out consistently to keep in the bunker, I think it is well worth the price, and for a splurge moment, I would definitely reach for Hillrock Solera.

HILLROCK SOLERATE BOURBON REVIEW RATING: 92/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 92/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.

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