Commodore's Cut
Cut No. 2 Single Barrel Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Barrel No. BKB01-103
James B. Beam Distilling Co. (intended for Knob Creek line), Kentucky
Aged 12+ Years | 121.55 Proof
Release Date: August 12, 2026
Product Details | Barrel Specs
DISTILLERY
James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, Kentucky (bourbon intended for the Knob Creek line)
AGE
12+ Years
PROOF
121.55 (Barrel Strength, Uncut — not cut or filtered)
BARREL NO.
BKB01-103
BOTTLES
~150 — Single Barrel, Limited Release
MASH BILL
75% Corn · 12% Rye · 13% Malted Barley
MATURATION
Distilled in Kentucky · Double-oaked and aged at altitude in Colorado
SELECTED BY
CAPT Don "Willie" Williamson, USN (Ret.) — Founder, Commodore's Cut
The Commodore's selection notes, taken from the barrel at the time of selection. This bourbon is currently completing its second maturation in a Green River barrel; final tasting notes will be updated upon bottling.
Nose & Front Palate
Sweet on the entry — caramel and vanilla, layered and complex.
Mid-Palate
The profile shifts to sweet grass, herbs, and a gentle wood char — present but never overpowering.
Finish
Strong yet smooth, drinking well below its proof, with a warming "Kentucky hug" and a full, satisfying viscosity.
The double-oak finish now underway will add further depth and complexity to this profile. Updated notes to follow.
Tasting Notes
Every barrel in the Commodore's Cut program is selected by hand. Not by algorithm, not by committee — by a Naval Aviator who spent 26 years making high-stakes decisions under pressure. Barrel BKB01-103 was chosen because a rare combination came together in a single vessel: the pedigree of America's most storied bourbon dynasty, twelve years of patient aging, a second maturation in a historic Kentucky barrel, and the transforming effect of a mile-high climate. Here is what that means.
THE DISTILLERY: JAMES B. BEAM DISTILLING CO., EST. 1795
The spirit in this barrel was distilled by the James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont, Kentucky — the operation behind the best-selling bourbon in the world, and one of the most storied names in American whiskey. The Beam family has been distilling since Jacob Beam sold his first barrel in 1795, an unbroken lineage now spanning seven generations of master distillers.
But this is no ordinary Beam bourbon. Barrel BKB01-103 was drawn from stock intended for the Knob Creek line — Beam's premium, extra-aged expression, named for the Kentucky creek that runs near Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home. Knob Creek was created to recall the rich, full-flavored, pre-Prohibition style of bourbon: aged longer, bottled at higher proof, and built for those who take their whiskey seriously.
The distillate in this barrel reflects that heritage — a Kentucky straight bourbon from a family that has been perfecting the craft for 230 years. It is, in the truest sense, proven juice from proven stills.
The Story Behind This barrel
the Distillery -
James B. Beam Distilling Co.,
Est. 1795
The Story Behind This barrel
the Age -
Twelve Years in the Making
Time is the one thing that cannot be rushed in bourbon, and Barrel BKB01-103 was given plenty of it.
Twelve years. More than a decade of slow, patient interaction between spirit and wood — long enough for the raw edges of youth to soften and give way to depth. At twelve years, a bourbon has surrendered its harshness and taken on the richer, rounder character that only extended aging can produce: deep caramel, seasoned oak, dark fruit, and warm baking spice.
This is well beyond the age of most bourbons on the shelf, and it places Barrel BKB01-103 firmly in premium, extra-aged territory — the same class of maturity that defines the finest expressions in American whiskey. The Commodore does not release a barrel until it is ready. This one took its time, and it shows.
The Story Behind This barrel
the Finish -
Double-Oaked in
a Green River Barrel
Most bourbons see the inside of a single barrel and no more. Barrel BKB01-103 was given something rarer: a second maturation.
After its years of aging, this bourbon was moved into a fresh barrel from the historic Green River Distillery in Owensboro, Kentucky — a bourbon-making site whose roots stretch back to 1885. Green River is one of the oldest distilling grounds in Kentucky, producing whiskey on the banks of the Ohio River since before the turn of the last century, through fire, Prohibition, and revival, and standing today as a respected name once more.
This process is known as double-oaking — a second finish in fresh charred oak that draws out an additional layer of flavor the first barrel could never give alone. Where the first barrel built the foundation across twelve years, the second barrel adds the flourish: deeper vanilla, richer caramel, and a warm, layered spice that rounds the whole. It is a technique reserved for premium expressions, used sparingly and only where the underlying bourbon can carry it.
Barrel BKB01-103 could carry it. The result is a bourbon shaped not by one barrel, but by two — a depth and complexity that sets it apart from anything in Cut No. 1, and from nearly anything on the shelf.
"A great bourbon is built in the barrel. This one was built in two. Twelve years to lay the foundation, and a second barrel to finish the story. You can taste both."
— CAPT Don "Willie" Williamson, USN (Ret.) | Founder, Commodore's Cut
Denver, Colorado sits at a mile above sea level. That elevation is not just scenery — it is an active participant in how bourbon ages.
At altitude, atmospheric pressure is lower. The air is drier, temperature swings between seasons are more pronounced, and the dynamics of evaporation through the barrel stave change. Water leaves the barrel more readily than alcohol in a dry, high-altitude environment — which is why Colorado-aged bourbons often show rising proof and accelerated maturation. Barrel BKB01-103's robust 121.55 proof at bottling is consistent with exactly this pattern: a barrel that concentrated and deepened in the thin mountain air.
Colorado's high-altitude environment is known to develop certain flavor characteristics — butterscotch, dark fruit, and a distinctive dryness in the finish — more readily than at sea level. These are not shortcuts or artificial interventions. They are the natural consequence of physics and climate acting on wood and spirit.
What you taste in Barrel BKB01-103 was shaped by a journey across two states and multiple environments: the Kentucky distillery where it was born, twelve years of aging, a second Kentucky barrel that gave it a final layer of character, and the Colorado altitude that concentrated and deepened it all. Each one left its mark.
The Story Behind This barrel
the Environment -
Aged at A Mile High
The Story Behind This barrel
the Selection
The Commodore did not set out to find the most expensive barrel, or the one with the most impressive resume. He set out to find the one that was ready — the same standard he applied for 26 years when determining whether a mission, a crew, or an aircraft was ready to launch.
Barrel BKB01-103 was ready. Twelve years in the making, drawn from the premium stock of a 230-year-old distilling dynasty, deepened by a second barrel from one of Kentucky's most historic distilleries, and concentrated a mile above sea level. The proof is 121.55 — barrel strength, uncut, exactly as it came from the wood. Nothing added. Nothing removed.
The Commodore selects. The rest is yours to discover.
How to Purchase
at Onyx & Amber
Commodore’s Cut is selected from aged single barrel inventory, bottled, and fulfilled in collaboration with Onyx & Amber. When you click below, you will be taken to the Commodore’s Cut purchase page on the Onyx & Amber website. All orders, fulfillment, and shipping are handled by O&A, with direct-to-consumer delivery available in 45 states.
Onyx & Amber was chosen because their standards and mine align — in barrel selection, in transparency about provenance, and in the belief that exceptional whiskey should be able to tell you exactly where it came from and why it was chosen.
ABOUT ONYX & AMBER
Commodore's Cut is produced in collaboration with Onyx & Amber, Denver, Colorado — a craft spirits company founded by the Colorado Bourbon & Rye Collectors community. Onyx & Amber ages sourced whiskey at altitude in Denver's unique climate, where barometric pressure swings and dry mountain air accelerate maturation and concentrate flavor.
Learn more about Ben Rosen and Onyx & Amber: www.onyxandamber.com