Calibrate your taste buds. The Knob Creek is aged longer, bottled at a higher proof and is 13% rye. Maker’s is younger, lower in proof and is 16% wheat. That will make the latter softer, rounder and overall more easy going. Taste it first. Then the unknown mash bill of the TJ’s. Finish with the Knob Creek.
I don’t have much knowledge of any types of whiskey other than bourbon, but my experience matches prior posters. I personally like Makers Mark, Elijah Craig is also good. Emmanuel Williams is good too, but once you get down to the regular Jim Beam and Old Granddad level you are talking about stuff that is good for a cheap shot at a bar, but not really something to enjoy. Knob Creek has a higher alcohol content than many bourbons, and it definitely tastes like it.
Allow me to introduce you to…
If you’re really sweating the details, you’ll see that dear old grand dad as depicted on the bottles is in fact Basil Hayden.
Thank you! So…pisswater no matter what the proof. Figured.
Yeah, probably. I still have a soft spot for Old Overcoat though. Back in the late 90’s when I first ventured into the world of spirits, there was almost no rye available at all, so OO was a regular purchase of mine for manhattans. I have better bottles at hand now, but I still remember that time fondly.
Lucky. My most vivid early memory of whisky involved a bottle of Cutty Sark, a bottle of Pepsi and a diving board. I couldn’t touch anything even remotely Scotch-like for 30 years.
Tomorrow’s Friday Manhattan will be using Sazarac Rye. I’m working through partial bottles to clear some space in the cabinet. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye will be next week.
When I was little, advertising pictures seemed to be almost ubiquitous. I liked the painting of the ship. Only, being young, I thought the posters said ‘Cutey Shark’.
We had some of that for Vieux Carrés last time. Saw some at the liquor store today, but didn’t buy it. We still have Bulleit rye in the cupboard.
I’ve just had an impromptu, non-blind, taste test with no preparation. I thought Knob Creek was more harsh, and the predominant taste was alcohol. I preferred Maker’s Mark. As an afterthought, I tried some Trader Joe’s Kentucky Whiskey. I thought it tasted closer to Maker’s Mark, and wasn’t bad. Someone with a more sophisticated palate will undoubtedly disagree; but these are my initial impressions.
Not really, but we were given a bottle of Miyagikyo:
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/32762/miyagikyo-single-malt
Pleasant enough to drink, but definitely on the lighter side and really suitable for summer. Had no problem finishing the bottle, but wouldn’t buy it again.
We tend towards Islay whiskies and we really like a sherry finish.
This thread’s going to be expensive - I’m now looking online at Caol Ila with sherry finish.
Here’s something out of left field to intrigue you. There’s been quite a boom in Breton whiskey in recent years, and this one is really rather good.
As they boast, the world’s first buckwheat (sarassin in local parlance) whiskey. The French have a fondness for lemony notes in whiskey, so you’ll find them there; and there are odd- unique, I guess - flavours to be enjoyed. Good luck finding it though. I’ll be picking up another bottle next time I’m in France.
In the UK it’s not so easy to get hold of American whiskey. Favourite bourbon: Eagle Rare; favourite rye: Sazarac.
j
I thought Knob Creek was more harsh, and the predominant taste was alcohol. I preferred Maker’s Mark.
Yup, nice to know I am not alone in that opinion. For a $40 bottle, it’s way overrated.
I tried it with an ice cube in it last night. That cut the harshness.
Gotta get the 9 year 120 proof Knob Creek, that’s a gem. The 12 year is also excellent, but not super available. The 15 is better, but you’re running into diminishing returns on price for sure. Haven’t had the 18.
Enjoyed a Manhattan today made with Bulleit Rye & a good Italian vermouth. Very nice & not at all sweet.
Properly made, they aren’t. If you find you would like a touch of sweetness, just add a teaspoon or so of cherry juice to the bottom of the glass before your pour.
I’ve been using up partial bottles of rye the last month or so. So far I’ve made Manhattans with:
Russell’s Reserve/Dolin
Russell’s Reserve/Carpano Atica
Sazerac/Dolin
Sazerac/Carpano Atica
Crown Royal Northern Harvest/Carpano Atica
None of them were less than Mighty Tasty. I’m waiting until I get a new bottle of Pikesville to mix with the Carpano Atica before I decide which I like best.
I despise sweet in cocktails. Which is a problem because right now the style of cocktails is very very very sweet. Ugh!
Not recommending, just saw this today, thought I would share with the class.
Abasolo, El Whisky de Mexico
They also make a corn liqueur, Nixta
Arrrrgh! I keep hearing “I bought some Old Trenchcoat for twenty bucks. Yeah, it’s crap, but I’ll use it in drinks.”
No, no, NO! Do you care so little for your friends… or (after they decide to never come over again) yourself? Do you deserve dog piss? No! You deserve a decent whiskey. There are plenty of $20-35 bottles that are good stuff. And if you can’t afford that because you’re pounding down ten drinks a night, your budget may not be your biggest problem.
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As a designer, I really want to like Knob Creek… because the bottle would look so good on our sideboard. But I keep trying it at bars, and even bought a tiny bottle to sip at home, annnnd… nope! Darn it!
At least the Monkey Shoulder looks great (metal monkeys “melted” into the ‘shoulder’ of the bottle). The Driftless Glen Bourbon looks like a pricey decanter, and the bottle of Oban that my kid brought back from Scotland is simple but beautiful.
Pikesville is my favorite, but it’s not always in stores here. My backup is Templeton 6 year.
When these two are done, I have a half-empty bottle of Sagamore Spirit to kill. Then, and only then can I break into the Rittenhouse BiB.