Meeting #29: July '26 - Knob Creek Blender's, Nelson Brothers Reserve, Rebel 10-Year SB

Another month, another three bourbons to put through the paces. No specific theme this go-around, perhaps a little"spray and pray" method to test our palates? We sampled Knob Creek Blender's Edition No. 1, Nelson Brothers Reserve, and Rebel 10 Year Single Barrel. All three earned respectable scores from our notoriously tough crowd, but the wheated Rebel 10 easily came out on top. Looking closer at these bourbons...

1) Knob Creek Blender's Edition No. 1

100 proof | aged 10 years | ~$65

Mashbill: 77% corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley

HF score: 3.21

Knob Creek Blender's Edition No. 1 is the first release in a new limited series focused specifically on the art of blending. Knob Creek's goal with this release was to highlight the sweeter side of its traditional bourbon profile, with vanilla and confectionary notes layered over the familiar bold Knob Creek character.

The group found plenty of the classic Knob Creek profile here, with a solid combination of oak, vanilla, caramel, and baking spice. It had the depth and body you'd expect from Knob Creek, without straying too far from the familiar house style.

Nose: Classic bourbon aromas of vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, and a touch of fruit.

Palate: Full-bodied with vanilla, caramel, baking spice, and the familiar oak and pepper notes that make Knob Creek recognizable.

Finish: Dry oak and pepper linger on the finish. A little more sweetness here could have taken this one from good to great.

Overall, this was a solid showing from Knob Creek and landed comfortably above the middle of our scale. For me, the finish was the only thing holding it back. A touch more lingering sweetness would have balanced the oak and pepper and bumped the score up a bit.

2) Nelson Brothers Reserve

107.8 proof | undisclosed age | ~$60

Mashbill: Corn, rye, and malted barley

HF score: 3.02

Nelson Brothers Reserve comes from Nelson's Green Brier Distillery in Nashville and features a blend of bourbons sourced from KY, TN, and IN. It offers a fairly different profile from the other two bourbons on the table.

This was one of those bourbons that divided the room a little. The nose was bright and fruity, while the palate brought more savory and earthy characteristics, at least to my palate. Other tasting notes online mention confectionary notes, marshmallow, butterscotch, etc. 

Nose: Bright and juicy, with cherry and other ripe fruit notes up front, along with hints of maple and baking spice.

Palate: A little more restrained than the nose, with fruit giving way to light saltiness, oak, caramel, and spice.

Finish: Oaky, with some lingering spice and earthy notes with a bitterness that hangs around.

3) Rebel 10 Year Single Barrel

100 proof | 10 years | ~$100

Mashbill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12 % malted barley

HF score: 3.40

The clear winner of the night was Rebel 10 Year Single Barrel. Aged for a full 10 years and built around Rebel's well-regarded wheated mashbill, this was the bourbon that seemed to have the broadest appeal across the group.

Wheated bourbon brings that crowd-pleasing softness, and Rebel 10 delivered plenty of that character. Dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, oak, and baking spice all made appearances, with the 10 years in the barrel adding plenty of mature oak character. The official profile also highlights caramel and citrus up front, followed by a smooth, spicy oak finish.

Nose: Dark fruit, cherry, vanilla, and leather

Palate: Smooth and full with dark fruit, caramel, vanilla, wheat sweetness, aged oak tannins

Finish: Lingering oak and baking spice with some sweetness on the backend

The 3.40 club score was the highest of the night, and the consensus was that this is simply a very good bourbon. The wheated mashbill was particularly well-liked by our crowd.

The biggest question was whether it brings enough of a "wow factor" to justify the roughly $100 price tag. While pretty much everyone agreed this was a quality bourbon, some members felt it was missing that unique characteristic that they want to see in that price range.

Still, for a group that's pretty difficult to impress, a 3.40 is a strong showing. Rebel 10 Year Single Barrel took the top spot for July and proved that sometimes a classic, well-executed bourbon doesn't need to reinvent the wheel to win the night.