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Knob Creek Smoked Maple

45% ABV - Kentucky, USA

Nose: Wafting from the glass is sweet maple caramel, and it has the backbone of well… maple marshmallows, but beneath the sweetness… past all of that sweetness... some leathery maple.

Taste: If you didn’t expect smoked maple, it’s smoked maple that you’re getting. This duo is balanced quite well! The sweetness from the nose isn’t overpowering. There is a darn good bourbon underneath here—one of my favourites—and its house flavours are not completely masked, only diluted slightly. Leather, chocolate cherry, hard maple candy, and vanillas.

Finish: A refreshing dark maple syrup with some woody undertones.

This here is a whisky with a descriptive name. Transparent marketing. You know what you are getting… okay, it’s a little more complex than the name. Knob Creek Smoked Maple: one of your new best friends for camping, hiking, or anywhere else that you might crave the hug of a Kentucky bourbon and the sweet, sweet taste of maple to accent the scenery around you...

The bottle of Knob Creek Smoked Maple before me is the older label (c.2019) and I must say that I really like the updated labels of today. I think the newer labels add a higher degree of sophistication to Knob Creek whiskey—purely on the visual side of things because as far as I know the whiskey inside is the exact same.

I remember panic buying this one because it was after the new labels were introduced and that the 9-Year age statement would be coming back to the Small Batch. However, missing from those announcements was the Smoked Maple. I came to the silly conclusion that it was going to be discontinued. Maple—er, maybe—they ran out of maple barrels, I thought! It’s not like I stocked up… only the one bottle, and we are still slowly working our way through it two years later!

Tasting Notes (Official): Taste: Full-bodied, inviting maple notes that lift to smoke and are complemented with rich vanilla and caramel. Aroma: Smoked hickory and maple wood, with hints of earthy grains. Finish: Smokey, smooth, and slightly sweet.

Tasted 13 October 2021. (Posted 24 October 2021.)

79/100
Detailed Rating Information...

90+: Fantastic whisky; highly recommended.
My favourite whiskies – I might have more than one bottle if the price is right and the supply is limited! The higher values in this range will reflect a stronger balance and consistency between components.
85-89: Great whisky; recommended.
Whiskies that tick the flavour boxes and you'll likely hear about these from me. An easy decision to order at a bar/restaurant and one to consider buying a bottle of.
80-84: Very good whisky; recommended, but still consider trying before you buy.
Most of these whiskies I was really happy to have the opportunity to taste, but, apart from a dram here and there, I don’t think I would buy a bottle.
75-79: Good whisky; consider trying before you buy.
These are whiskies that I did enjoy drinking, but likely would reach for another bottle or select something different to order.
65-74: Average; consider trying before you buy, but not recommended.
There is nothing that stood out about this whisky and I might be inclined to mix it with soda or in a cocktail, instead of trying to enjoy its own flavours.
50-64: Bad; not recommended.
I didn’t like this and would sooner pass on another opportunity and order a beer instead than have it again… but never say never.


Whisky Bottle