Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon Archives

Hannah’s Knob Creek 12 Year Review

Original review written August 24, 2021

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

12 Year is an easy sipper through and through. It’s warm, with unique sweet tones and pleasant earthy-woodiness to complement. Spice is sprinkled throughout the pour, and makes for a very decent dram. 87/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Clermont, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Jim Beam Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: 12 yrs.
– Mash Bill: Corn=75%; Rye=13%, Malted Barley=12%
– Casks: Char #4
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– Vintage Year: 2009
– ABV: 50% (100 proof)
– Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho

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ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the glass neat from a Glencairn with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

I imagine enjoying Knob Creek 12 Yr at a bakery with the bourbon in one hand and a croissant in the other. There may be a million different aromas surrounding you, but the warmth of the bourbon permeates it all, and the taste pairs with any pastry you could possibly want.

Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

NOSE:

This nose presents as spicy, but in a baking spice sense. Immediately, I find allspice with heavy nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger. The cinnamon is reminiscent of red hot candies with a peppery sprinkle, but it still fits well with these natural baking spices too. The corn grain is also here, but it almost seems more like the corn husks after they’ve been dried out a bit (note: not completely dried out). There is a vanilla custard, soft oak, and toffee element also that blend quite well together, with none of the flavors seeming overbearing. If I really look, I can detect a dark berry, but it is hard to place exactly which one it is – it may even be dried, like a cranberry or maybe a lightly seasoned raisin.

Alcohol is definitely here on the nose, and can sting on deep inhales if you aren’t careful. Considering this is only 100 proof, I’m quite surprised at this feature, but all the same, very intrigued. Overall, this smells amazing, and I can’t wait to dig in.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: This is very smooth and oily, while still being light and easy to sip.
– Balance: Very well-blended. There is a bit of everything in this pour, but none of it overrides the other flavors to nonexistence while still allowing the woody-earthiness to be the hero.
– Visual: Auburn in color, this drops in sheets before quickly giving way to many long legs while leaving behind a distinct crown.

– Taste: Wood comes across the palate first, but it’s peppery in nature. It’s almost less like oak, and perhaps more like grilling hickory briquettes (maybe even cherry too?). Corn comes in the next wave, roasted but still dusty. With it comes leather and some of the other spices from the nose, though these have become much more subtle. Sweetness still remains, but it is less aggressive with its vanillas and toffees. Instead, it is almost pastry-like, flaky and buttery while being slightly dry – in a good way. In it is a seedy, chunky, but delicious fruit spread, like a peach or a similar stone fruit. There could be some toasted almonds thrown in for a mild sweetness also that just complements everything nicely.

The alcohol is incredibly mild in this pour. I can taste it with a bit of warmth, but otherwise, it is inoffensive and a very easy dram to sip. When I partake in a Kentucky chew, I find green grapes, oak, and some unsweetened syrup to accompany the fruit component. The heat kicks up, obviously, but it falls back quick enough.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Short-Medium. I get a tickle of lingering warmth and a hint of flavors but none of it strong.
– Between Sips: The aforementioned almonds appear between sips, along with roasted corn and the slightest hint of cherry, but it is very faint.

– No More: The empty Glencairn is straight up oak and barrel char, almost to the point of sweetness. It’s warm and rich and everything I could hope for at the end of a good glass.

WORTH THE PRICE?

For $60, I will admit, I have had whiskeys I enjoy more, but I do not think this is a bad value at all. It’s warm, it’s woody, it’s fruity, it’s spicy… it ticks all the boxes for me. And I would definitely pour myself another glass. I enjoy it a lot, and if you have the opportunity to try, and want a really well-blended bourbon with no aggressiveness, this is it.

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR REVIEW RATING: 87/100

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Brian’s Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon Review:

reviewed 24-August-2021

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR BOURBON REVIEW:

Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon (Knob Creek 12Yr) is an all around fine bourbon. Its aromas of dusty grains, fruits, spices, and sweets pass through to the palate and there is plenty of wood to go around as well. The only detractor is its medium finish … it simply fades away too fast. Still, Knob Creek 12Yr scores near the my top of my rating tiers.

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR BOURBON VITAL STATS:

Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Region: Clermont, KY, USA
Distillery: Knob Creek
Country: United States
Mash Bill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel entry proof: 125
Vintage Year: 2009
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Purchase Price: $59.95 USD (2021 – Idaho)

_{“These barrels were primarily located in the center cut of Knob Creek rackhouses, ensuring the most consistent environment for the bourbon to patient age.”}
^{– Knob Creek}

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ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, alternate amounts equaling about 4 ounces, were poured into Glencairns from a newly opened bottle. Knob Creek 12Yr was then enjoyed neat with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR BOURBON NOSE:

Knob Creek 12Yr opens dry with a little burn. Once the nose becomes accustomed to the ethanol tickle, I can coax herbal roasted corn, dusty grain and faint notes of pipe tobacco from the glass. There are also soft apples, plums and raisins along with spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and rye to entertain the nose. As the fruits and spices mingle I am thinking, “Mmm, Apple pie.” Further nosing brings cocoa infused vanilla custard and sweets of lightly burnt brown sugar caramel and heavily roasted peanuts in dark toffee. While not wood forward I do sense dry seasoned oak and hazy toasted barrel which compliment the aroma of weathered leather.

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR BOURBON PALATE:

Knob Creek 12Yr tastes much like it smells. There is an initial light ethanol bite but the liquid warms after the mouth acclimates to the sip. I also find the familiar roasted and dusty corn along with rich pipe tobacco, soft apples, prunes and a new sensation of grilled lemon zest. The spices of cinnamon, ginger, pepper and rye blend to make me think of cinnamon-apple pie filling mixed with plums and chopped raisins. Light vanilla pairs nicely with the nearly burnt brown sugar caramel. And like I sensed on the nose, dark toffee poured over roasted peanuts pass to the palate as do strong dry and seasoned oak, hazy and toasted barrel char, and worn leather.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
The first sip of Knob Creek 12Yr is easy to hold as the mouth acclimates quickly to the initial heat. This bourbon is dangerously easy to drink. It is full, solid and well blended and rich and oily in my mouth. As the nectar is sipped and swirled, a thick sheet of liquid in the Glencairn gives way to long clinging legs, returning the whiskey to the auburn colored pool leaving behind a well defined crown.

KNOB CREEK 12 YEAR BOURBON FINISH:

Knob Creek 12Yr finishes dry and with dusty warmth. I sense plums, spices of ginger and pepper and sweets of simple sugar and buttery caramel. Like on the nose and palate (but much more faint) there are roasted nuts, dry oak, hazy toasted barrels and leather. And when the last dram is downed, the aroma of an old fashioned carpentry shop wafts from the empty Glencairn. In my mind the only detraction from this fine bourbon is its medium length finish … I wish it would linger much longer in my mouth and throat before it fades away.

MY RATING: 92/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Other than the basic Knob Creek 9 Year, all of the Knob Creek offerings I’ve enjoyed have been stellar. I will absolutely grab another when I see one on the shelf.
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

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WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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