Review: Knob Creek Rye 10 Years Old
A year after adding a seven year age statement to its flagship small batch rye, Knob Creek is back with another permanent addition to the core lineup. It’s that same Kentucky straight rye whiskey, this time aged 10 years, and at a slightly more premium price point. (A $30 bump up from the seven year old version.)
As always with Knob Creek Rye, this is distilled from a “Kentucky-style” mashbill with somewhere just north of the legally mandated 51 percent rye grain, along with a sizeable portion of corn. Compared to Pennsylvania or Indiana-style ryes, the relatively high corn mash delivers a noticeably sweeter profile familiar to many bourbon drinkers.
This latest Knob Creek Rye is already available nationwide and is marketed as an ongoing release, so expect to see it on shelves near you. It’s bottled at 100 proof with an MSRP right around $70.
Let’s see how it tastes!
Sweet, dark caramel kicks off a nose that quickly transitions from wood to melted French vanilla ice cream and brown butter; that rich buttery quality is strong throughout. It’s already sweeter and a little less leathery than I expected at this juncture, especially compared to the seven year old version. Those early notes are punctuated by rye spice, fresh baked whole wheat bread, and dark cocktail cherries.
Eventually, after five or more minutes of rest, trails of melted baking chocolate make their way out of the glass. Oak is balanced by a mild amount of pine sap. Toward the end of the nose, light green mint pushes this just slightly more herbal than its seven year old predecessor.
Fruit is far more pronounced on the palate, particularly green apple, pear, and black cherry. Next up is vanilla, carried thickly by a viscous, cola-esque mouthfeel. The whole experience reminds me of Cherry Vanilla Coke, especially after the midpalate.
Rye spice takes awhile to develop in the mouth but eventually provides enough cinnamon and nutmeg to give a welcome break from all that vanilla and cola. It’s an altogether sweeter profile than most American rye whiskey today — accessible to bourbon drinkers, but a definite curveball for folks who cut their teeth on the 95 percent MGP rye mashbill that still dominates shelves.
The back palate tips over into the finish with a creamy mocha aftertaste. From here, it’s a lengthy progression as vanilla cream dissipates and leaves behind more cinnamon spice, along with leather and cherry befitting a rye clocking in at over a decade old.
Knob Creek’s latest rye takes an already solid shelfer and leans in, adding plenty of bourbon-style sweetness with additional time in the barrel. It’s got just a touch more character and depth than Knob Creek’s 7 year old rye without quite climbing a full ladder rung above it. As with the 7 year old version, it also invites you to experiment and go high-end on that next rye-based cocktail. Whether it’s worth it to spring for a $70 cocktail rye is your call — just know this one more than holds its own when sipped neat.
100 proof.
A- / $70 / knobcreek.com
Knob Creek Rye 10 Years Old
$70
