Review #388 - Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Frank Costello'
Wiseguy Lounge Barrel Pick Series: Part 20 of 20
To wrap up our series of Wiseguy Lounge barrel picks, we have another Knob Creek bourbon, which sports a 9 year age statement - distilled and barreled in 2014, bottled in 2023. This private pick has been named 'Frank Costello,' and it's bottled at a punchy 120 proof.
Frank Costello, eventual boss of the Luciano mafia crime family, was born in Italy, but moved to New York at a young age. He quickly became involved in local gangs, where he met his mafia partner Lucky Luciano; after a time as boss of the Luciano family, he was targeted for assassination by rival mafia members, and he decided to retire.
Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Frank Costello'
USA - Bourbon
Price: USD 55 (2024)
Age Statement: 9 Years
Strength: 60% ABV
Details: Wiseguy Lounge pick #14 'Frank Costello,' barreled February 12, 2014, bottled August 2, 2023; warehouse K, 5th floor, rick 016
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 10% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Oak with some toasted character to it - that oak is the focus of the nose, relatively strong. It is balanced by some sweetness from brown sugar, and we get a hint of orange peel; later, pecans, too.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick. Orange is the biggest flavor at first, both sweet orange fruit and some sharper citrus oil. Oak is more mild on the palate, adding a soft barbecued wood note, and we get sweetness from demerara sugar. At the end of the palate, hints of Angostura cocktail bitters.
Finish: Medium length, and it becomes a bit more mellow. Orange still lingers, though there are some sharper flavors - white pepper, soft oak. The aftertaste is sweet and oily, with syrupy brown sugar notes.
Final Note: A nice enough Knob Creek single barrel, if a little bit simple. While a lot of bourbons from the brand are quite oak-heavy in their flavor profiles, this one was a bit more subtle, with a nice mix of sweet notes.
Value is pretty good - good flavor and lots of punch for a reasonable price is always a good combination.
Our Average Rating: 6.5 / 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: 6.84
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.
Check out our other Knob Creek reviews:
Review #387 - Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Chop Shop'
Review #373 - Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Vincent Gigante'
Review #320 - Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye
Review #292 - Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon
Review #104 - Knob Creek 9 Year Single Barrel Select - Wiseguy Lounge Pick
