The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) recently hand-selected eight barrels of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve – or the equivalent of about 1,250 bottles – to offer exclusively to New Hampshire customers. Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve, which is produced at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky, will be available at select NH Liquor & Wine Outlets beginning this week.
This past March, NHLC representatives traveled to the Jim Beam Distillery to hand-select eight barrels of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve and to learn about the Jim Beam Distillery’s whiskey-making process and tradition.
“The New Hampshire Liquor Commission is committed to providing customers with premium offerings they simply cannot obtain elsewhere,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “NHLC experienced $642 million in total sales last year, including $357 million in spirits sales alone. That extraordinary buying power allows us to make purchases of in-demand products, like Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve, and to make those products available at the most competitive prices. With interest in premium spirits on the rise, and particularly interest in the Knob Creek® brand, this acquisition of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve will help us continue to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and to deliver record revenues to the New Hampshire General Fund.”
Producers often blend multiple barrels of bourbon together to create consistent taste and flavor. But in the case of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve, Knob Creek chooses a select few barrels for their distinct quality to be bottled individually. Each barrel—including each barrel that is coming to New Hampshire—will have a unique flavor profile, with variations in flavor, taste, color and aroma, depending on a variety of factors, including final age, rack placement and other “proprietary methods” that have been passed down for seven generations. While there is variation from barrel to barrel, according to Knob Creek, tasters will notice that Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve features “deep and complex flavors of vanilla, nuts and oak.”
At 120 proof and aged a minimum nine years, Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve will retail for $46.99 per 750ml bottle. Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve will be available for the discounted price of $41.99 for a limited time only at select NH Liquor & Wine Outlets.
“Our customers will appreciate this exclusive opportunity to enjoy one of the most coveted and unique whiskeys on the market,” said Mark Roy, NHLC Spirits Marketing and Sales Specialist. “The flavor profiles from each unique barrel range from sweet caramel to big, bold and spicy—and everything in between. These specific flavor profiles will only be available here in New Hampshire. The best way to appreciate the subtle differences in flavor is to taste bottles from multiple barrels.”
NHLC first purchased two barrels of Knob Creek’s award-winning Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve in 2012. NHLC purchased three barrels the following year and are now up to eight barrels. Last year, NHLC sold its three-barrel, 208-case supply of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve in just three months. Knob Creek® sales at NH Liquor & Wine Outlets have increased by more than 15% over the past 12 months.
