Knob Creek Single Barrel Confirmed.

As we first reported two months ago, and as Beam Global has finally confirmed, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve will hit the market.in January 2011.

The note I got yesterday from the Beam PR Department put it like this: "As you know, twenty years ago, Booker Noe – Jim Beam’s grandson – introduced bourbon drinkers to the world’s first super-premium, small-batch bourbon: Knob Creek. Now, after 20 years, the #1 selling super-premium bourbon is ready to introduce bourbon drinkers to a new friend."

That's not exactly how I remember it. Blanton's, from what is now Buffalo Trace, was "the world’s first super-premium, small-batch bourbon." It was single barrel and didn't use the term "small batch," which Beam introduced, but really Blanton's was first.

Even within the Beam family Knob wasn't first, Booker's own eponymous brand was. It had a limited release, proved successful, and was followed by the simultaneous release of Baker's, Basil Hayden's and Knob Creek; marketed collectively as the Small Batch Bourbons Collection.

But I digress. Here is the rest:

"And just as Knob Creek is aged patiently for nine years (as Booker wanted), we had to be patient in sharing this exciting news with you… But now we’re ready.

"You've heard the rumors, but here's the official confirmation:

"Come January 2011, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve will hit the market. Hand-selected, barrel-by-barrel, this extraordinarily smooth bourbon promises to capture Knob Creek’s rich, mature flavor and bold, nine-year aged bourbon character."

They've promised a tasting sample in a couple of weeks.

Although I kid about the awkward way it has rolled out, this is an exciting new product release and I'm looking forward to it. This is the first single barrel product from Beam. Single barrel products are fun because they let you taste what the distiller tastes, the contents of a single barrel instead of a mixture of many.

They apparently are still not ready to confirm that Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve will be 60 percent alcohol (120° proof), instead of 50 percent (100° proof) like regular Knob, as we reported on August 22.