Review #373 - Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Vincent Gigante'
Wiseguy Lounge Barrel Pick Series: Part 5 of 20
The most common brand that the Wiseguy Lounge partners with for barrel picks is probably Knob Creek - they've completed at least 14 of these single barrel selections, and this bottle we're reviewing is number 12. It was barreled in January of 2014 and dumped in March of 2023, making this pick roughly 9 years and 2 months old; it gets the standard 120 proof bottling treatment that most Knob Creek picks receive.
This single barrel was named 'Vincent Gigante' after Vincent Louis Gigante, also known as 'Chin' or 'The Oddfather.' He was a mob boss, specifically the boss of the Genovese crime family in New York; Vincent led a very interesting life, and at one point, was considered to be the most powerful mob boss in the United States.
Before becoming a mafia enforcer and working his way up to boss, he was actually a boxer. Drug trafficking charges landed him in prison for the first time in the 1950s, where he met more criminal associates; he and his crew of Genovese soldiers generally operated out of the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. In an effort to avoid prosecution, Gigante faked insanity for close to 30 years; in the end, he confessed, and would end up dying in prison.
Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Vincent Gigante'
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 70 (2024)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 60% ABV
Details: Wiseguy Lounge pick #12 'Vincent Gigante,' barreled January 16, 2014, bottled March 7, 2023; warehouse P, 6th floor, rick 46
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 100% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Oak-forward, but there's a decent amount of sweetness - cherries, actually, as well as brown sugar. The classic nutty notes do make an appearance: salted peanuts, or maybe almond scents; the oak becomes more dusty and raw with time, and adding water brings the oak further to the front. There are soft corn grain notes, as well.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick; there's plenty of oak, with some tannins adding a sharper kick, and we tasted wood smoke as well. Char, peanut shells, and malty grain add more dry flavors; the palate is more dry than the nose overall, but we still get a hint of sweet cherry candies.
Finish: Orange rind, smooth caramel - the finish grows a little sweeter again. There's a sort of medicinal taste in the background; it's a long finish.
Final Note: A solid single barrel from Knob Creek and the Wiseguy Lounge - a little more fruit-forward than your average Jim Beam distillate, but in a good way. We did still get those nutty notes, and the oak was plentiful all the time, though it didn't show as much of the super-mature notes like leather and tobacco smoke.
Value is good, as always with Knob Creek - these single barrel select bourbons have good age and a great proof point, and they provide reliable flavor. Most of them can be found for even cheaper than this example, too.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.28
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
