Knob Creek 9 Years Old Small Batch 1L

Big, toasty bourbon energy without the sugar-bomb vibes. Knob Creek 9 Year Small Batch is the kind of pour that makes your first sip slow down, because there’s a lot going on, and it’s worth paying attention.

• Nose: Warm vanilla, toasted oak, roasted peanuts, a little caramel, and a peppery rye-like lift.
• Taste: Full and bold, with brown sugar, charred oak, baking spices, and nutty richness that feels round, not sticky.
• Finish: Long and drying in the best way, with oak spice, cocoa-like bitterness, and a lingering warmth that keeps evolving.

The “9 years old” part matters here. More time in barrel means deeper oak flavour, more spice, and that extra layer of roasted, charred character that younger bourbons can’t fake. If you like bourbon that shows its backbone, this one’s a yes.

It’s also labelled “Small Batch”, which is your clue that it’s blended from a limited set of barrels to keep the flavour profile consistent. Translation, you get that signature Knob Creek punch, batch after batch, instead of rolling the dice every time you restock.

How to drink it, depending on your mood. Neat when you want the full story, a few drops of water if you want the vanilla and nuttiness to pop, or on a big cube when you want it to stretch into something more dessert-y (think caramel, spice, and toasted wood). It also makes a killer Old Fashioned, because it doesn’t disappear once the bitters and sugar show up.

Country of origin: USA, Kentucky. This is classic American whiskey energy, turned up a notch, bold oak, big spice, and plenty of flavour to explore.

Fun Fact: Knob Creek is part of the Jim Beam family, and it was launched in 1992 as a deliberate throwback to older, pre-Prohibition-style bourbon, built to taste like it means it.