Otto’s Exclusive – Knob Creek Single Barrel Offerings Coming Soon!
Recently the Otto’s Gang was invited down to Miller Park by Jim Beam to pick out our own private barrels of Knob Creek. The Brewers were still in Spring Training, so Beam was able to rent a room in the Club Level of the stadium where we were served Knob Creek Old Fashioned’s and a great spread of food. After our feast we met with Beam’s Global Whiskey Ambassador, Adam Harris, to pick out our barrels, a bourbon and a rye. We blind tasted 4 samples of each and came to a consensus on which barrels we liked the most.
We tasted the bourbon samples first. We picked #8804A from warehouse X, floor 4, Rick 29, Tier 3, Story 7. It was barreled on February 11, 2004. Do the math, that’s a 15-year-old bourbon!!!! Now remember, we did this tasting blindly, so we based our decision on taste, without being influenced by an age statement. This pick is a real winner and I’m sure it won’t be around very long.
Next, we tasted through our rye selections. We picked barrel #8041A from warehouse K, Floor 2, Rick 43, Tier 2, Story 7. While we felt all of the selections presented were worthy of being chosen, this one stood out over the others. Our rye pick was barreled on October 7, 2013, making it about a 5 ½ year old.
These two Otto’s single barrel picks will be available at our stores some in June, hopefully by Father’s Day. Watch for updates on a more exact release date.
Our next barrel pick will actually be done in Kentucky at the Maker’s Mark Distillery. We will pick out our own barrel of Maker’s Mark, then insert wood staves into the barrel, thus creating a Maker’s 46 Single Barrel. These staves will stay in the barrel for a few months of extra ageing, then the barrel will be bottled and shipped to our stores. During our visit, we will tour the Jim Beam Distillery and stay at the Knob Creek House, located on the grounds. We are very excited about this opportunity and are looking forward to what will be a very memorable experience. Watch for updates on our trip and the release date for our Maker’s 46 Single Barrel.
See you at Otto’s!
Tim – Brown Deer