Recently, a box landed on my office desk with a bottle of Knob Creek Bourbon inside -- an empty bottle. I was a little bummed to say the least (and thirsty, at that) but then I read the information sent with it.


This spirit, a super-premium bourbon from the Beam family, was experiencing a supply shortage. After what must have been busy year, Knob Creek drew far more fans than they expected and now you might not be able to find a bottle so readily available on the shelves of your local liquor store -- at least not until a little later this year.

When faced with the question of whether or not they should sacrifice quality for quantity, the bourbon maker is standing strong. This nine-year aged spirit will not be tampered with. The next batch will be ready in November 2009 and no earlier.

Perhaps this decision is a result of a lesson learned from the Jack Daniels scandal in 2004. The famous whiskey lowered their alcohol content from 86 proof to 80, resulting in a very disappointed public. Claiming that most preferred a little less kick in their Jack & Coke, the company offered up specialty (and more expensive) versions like Jack Daniels Single Barrel.

Basically, the distillers were adding more water to the drink -- which in most drinking circles is referred to as "watering down" and it's frowned upon. And it wasn't the first time that a little more water was added to that age-old recipe Jack Daniels uses: in the late 80s, the spirit went from 90 proof down to 86.

Instead, Knob Creek seems to be following in the footsteps of the Champagne industry -- who really know how to keep their fans happy ... kind of. In 1999, in mid Y2K panic mode, vineyards in the French Champagne region started running out of bottles well before New Years Eve.

Of course, we can confidently say that we made it through Y2K without too much trouble and Champagne is still as popular as ever. Even after a similar shortage threatened in 2007.

While many whiskey drinkers switched brands because of their disappointment in Jack, Champagne lovers remained true. And the same will probably go for Knob Creek. The demand for the bourbon grew far faster this year than they'd ever expected but there's no going back -- Knob Creek is aged nine years and it'll be a full nine years no matter the circumstances.

It's nice to know that no matter how popular this drink will become in the following years, it will always remain true to itself and honest to you -- which is more than you can probably say about some of your actual friends.