Bourbon Tasting: Knob Creek Single Barrel Select

Ever wondered how a touch of water can completely transform your bourbon experience? Join us on the B-Team Podcast as we share the secrets of savoring Knob Creek Single Barrel Select with the help of our grape and grain guru, Russ Kempton. This spirited session takes us through the unique flavors and aromas of this almost decade-old Bentonville treasure, as we sprinkle in some humor about Rob Nelson's never-ending contract saga. With anecdotes and laughter aplenty, we create a laid-back space for both bourbon buffs and those curious about the business behind the barrel.

But it's not all smooth sailing as we touch on the potential departure of a beloved co-host, sparking playful speculations about a "Rob Jr." stepping in. Amidst this shake-up, we tackle the tricky balance between friendship and business, keeping the mood light with jokes about future venture names like "The A Team" or even "The D Team." Despite the challenges, we raise our glasses to resilience, cherishing the camaraderie that keeps the B-Team spirit alive. So, sit back, pour yourself a glass, and join us for an episode filled with taste, tales, and toasts to the unknown.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:11

Welcome to the B-Team Podcast. I am your host, josh Saffron, with my co-host, matt Morris and our permanent guest Rob Nelson. We're here every week to talk to you about all things Bentonville, bourbon and business. The B-Team Podcast. Be here, all right. Welcome to the B-Team Podcast. I am your host, josh Safran, with my co-host Matt Mars and our permanent guest Rob Nelson still here. Well, we're in the middle of a contract dispute. We're going to talk a little bit about that because we may be done with you today.

Speaker 2 0:41

The viewers have voted. The viewers have voted. My attorney has spoken. The viewers have voted.

Speaker 1 0:47

Well, we're going to come back to that, because this is a great place today, but, as a reminder, we're here for Bentonville, bourbon and Small Business and we always start with the man, the myth and the legend, russ Kempton, speaking of grapes and grains. And Russ, what are we going to drink today? But this is also a gift to us from Guess who. Correct, and I want to make sure I shout them out. They gifted us one of their store picks and that's what we're going to be drinking on the show today.

Speaker 3 1:12

And I'll shout it out to Guess who in a few minutes. And again, rob, great seeing you. Josh, as always. And Matt, it's always a pleasure seeing you, three fine gentlemen.

Speaker 3 1:21

Fine gentlemen, yes, we feel the same with you. So today we do have Knob Creek single barrel select. It is a guess who pick? You know here in Bentonville, you know fine retailer and you know store picks have been a thing the last 20 years. And as we get into more and more store picks around the region, you know you're always going to have fun and exciting brands that come out from various distillers and line extensions and one-offs. Now if you look at this label here on Knob Creek, which is interesting, they were only one week from when they dumped it, from when it was distilled and put in the barrel. They were one week from having this as a 10-year-old bourbon. So it's nine years, 51 months in oak Well, 51 weeks, 51 months would be.

Speaker 1 2:12

Did I say months? Yeah, we knew, we know it, man.

Speaker 3 2:14

We know.

Speaker 2 2:17

Should we just round up and just call it a 10-year. This is what he does, he gets under people's skin. I don't let him do it to me. But, josh, he's gotten under Rob's 100%.

Speaker 1 2:28

This is part of the issue where he may be done with us.

Speaker 2 2:32

I don't want to get Russ mad over here. We don't want to get Russ mad. Don't get me mad.

Speaker 3 2:36

You've never seen me riled up.

Speaker 1 2:38

No, I am low-key and I've got enough problems with this guy over here with the contract. I don't want to cause any issues, so it's nine years, 51 weeks in oak here.

Speaker 3 2:48

Now, if you look at the Knob Creek, this is from Gesu, our fine friends up the street here in Bentonville. Look how dark this is. Of all the brands that we've done, you know, these couple months here on the B team, I haven't seen one that we've, you know, presented and gone through that is this dark. This is really almost dark brown mahogany and shoe polish. Cheers to you. Look at this, that's a great color here.

Speaker 2 3:13

Cheers guys Cheers, it smells good and again an inch from your nose, open your mouth.

Speaker 3 3:17

I mean, I've never had a bad one, but it smells good. Are we allowed to?

Speaker 2 3:20

cheers. I mean, Josh likes airing our laundry out here in the middle of the podcast, but we'll deal with it later. Who's getting a lot of oak here? Russ. Russ is bloody.

Speaker 1 3:34

He's trying to avoid conflict.

Speaker 2 3:36

He's like you boys just need a drink and calm down. It will mellow you out. Yes, sir Russ, and I can just get a bag of popcorn over here. Yes, watch.

Speaker 3 3:46

Does this drink like it's 120 proof? No, that's good. That's really good. That's really good. What we talked about in the past. With that aging, it really helps mask some of that proof points and some of that alcohol. It really mellows the spirit out. I get a lot of black licorice here.

Speaker 2 4:02

It's delicious Black licorice. I don't know. I got to do a swish it around one, or you can do the Kentucky Chew. Well, Matt and I give each other grief that until you got here, I pick up the black licorice.

Speaker 1 4:15

I'm with you Until you got here we were all like, yeah, it's good. Like we're not catching all the notes that you're catching.

Speaker 2 4:21

I the notes that you're guessing. I love black licorice. That's probably why I like it, but also it's good.

Speaker 3 4:24

And one of the great notes for Knob Creek is, every time I try it with a couple drops of water, just like when we tried that nine year a couple weeks ago. You know just these couple drops of water. You know that spice level is going to come up, but I get a lot of black pepper now On the nose and on the palate.

Speaker 1 4:51

It's so different with the water, isn't it? Yeah?

Speaker 2 4:55

Yeah, it's night and day. It tones it way down. It's a great way, yeah.

Speaker 3 5:01

Because, again, as we get into high proof points, we just don't want to drink too much of it. This is more consumption on the lower end, but we're drinking quality, not quantity, and that 120 proof. That's why you want to tone it down a little bit.

Speaker 2 5:17

That's what we got to remember. Yeah, quality over quantity.

Speaker 1 5:21

Yeah, Quality two hosts over quantity.

Speaker 3 5:26

This guy. This is not a seem-to-be Arkansas Razorback basketball game where people were tailgating back and forth. They're drinking this this is really good.

Speaker 2 5:38

This is it's really good.

Speaker 3 5:39

It's really mellow, it does not drink like 120 proof. Now again, if you guys want to add that ice cube, that proverbial cube, when you're drinking at the house, that's okay, but just to show you. Isn't it amazing, though, on all the ones that we've done with these must-have doing this, I think this has really transformed quicker than any other. As far as that one or that, oh yeah.

Speaker 2 6:02

And a huge difference. Guess who nailed it? Yeah, great job.

Speaker 1 6:05

Shout out to Hart yeah, they did, they did a fine job. Shout out to Jen. Shout out to Hart for getting us this bottle.

Speaker 2 6:11

I'm a big fan of Knob Creek.

Speaker 3 6:13

I like all their stuff. Well, you know, knob Creek is, you know, it's one of these brands from Jim Beam that helped reset the whiskey industry in the United States, especially in Kentucky, 32 years ago, when Booker Noe started the Small Batch Bourbon Collection in 1992. So that was Booker Noe, his own brand. That's still out there today, high proof, barrel proof. We've got Knob Creek, we've got Baker's, which I still think is the unsung hero of those four, and then we got Basil. So those four started the small batch bourbon collection by Booker Noe in 1992. And this is obviously this is the leader in the clubhouse as far as sales. This has the most traction of those four brands I like the.

Speaker 2 6:53

I'm a fan of the bakers too. I I didn't realize that was in the same so yeah, he's kind of the.

Speaker 3 6:59

I'm not sure if he's just an outlier. He's a cousin, he's a family member, but we just don't see bakers on the shelf and out there in the marketplace like we should matt would be the baker.

Speaker 1 7:11

I mean, sorry, rob would be the baker, okay, the outlier, bringing it back. Bring it back. I mean we, we do love when you're here and I'm loving this, and the buzz is making me feel more courageous to say the contract oh, we're going to talk about this right here and right now yeah, I mean listen. I mean the viewers have spoken and we have to take you down from a quarter owner of this business to about 10%, because that's all the value you're adding.

Speaker 2 7:38

So here's your new contract. Clearly you're not reading the viewer. Your mom and Haley are big fans.

Future Business Plans Discussed

Speaker 1 7:47

Shout out to Haley, shout out to Haley. But we're going to have to have some kind of discussion because I don't think we're having you back for the next episode.

Speaker 2 7:55

Well, that's fine, you know, that's fine. You're aligned, correct. I mean, we thought he was signed on for 52 episodes, but he's kind of already starting to bail on us. It's over, johnny. Yeah, he's gone.

Speaker 1 8:14

We need to bring in like a Rob Jr or somebody to fill a void.

Speaker 2 8:17

I don't know what we're going to do. Tell your attorney to go read that and then read the comments.

Speaker 1 8:23

I mean, we could still be friends, we just don't already be business partners. No, that's fine.

Speaker 2 8:27

I'm cool with that. A little less work for me, more playtime. There's not much less work you could possibly be doing. Man, you're a cranky fucker today. Yeah, he's grouchy. Yeah, he's grouchy. I think that flight must have been a rough one.

Speaker 1 8:42

Yeah, it was rough yeah.

Speaker 2 8:43

It was rough.

Speaker 1 8:44

Well, Russ, you're always welcome back. Matt, you're going to be here with me.

Speaker 2 8:49

Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine. Who wants that contract? Yeah, rob might need to go speak to a C attorney. Yeah, yeah, it's good, because you know I'll just start my own. Yeah, he just went. Free agent on it. Yeah, free agent.

Speaker 3 9:06

You going to call it the A team or the C team.

Speaker 2 9:08

Huh Ooh, that's interesting.

Speaker 1 9:11

It could be the D team. You know why he's a big D.

Speaker 3 9:16

Or undee undeliverable Undee Undee.

Speaker 2 9:22

We need another T-shirt.

Speaker 1 9:23

Undee.

Speaker 2 9:25

Cheers, boys. Yeah, cheers, cheers. I'm sure we'll work it out. Yeah, we'll see you down the road if we don't get it figured out.