New Knob Creek Vs. Old Knob Creek

Battle of the Knob Creeks, Comparing NAS To 9 Year Old

By Richard Thomas

Some three years ago, Beam Suntory quietly removed the age statement from Knob Creek. After dropping the 9 years from the label, it retained its official label as “Knob Creek Small Batch,” but to writers, bloggers and enthusiasts it became known as “Knob Creek NAS” (i.e. No Age Statement). Many were unhappy to see it go, but few were upset, as Beam had handled the transition honestly, directly and with no fuss.

Thus most bourbon fans were pleased when Fred Noe, reigning Master Distiller at Beam’s plants around Clermont, Kentucky, announced at a sales meeting in North Carolina this past summer that Knob Creek would bring back its 9 year age statement in the early part of next year.

New fans have arrived on the scene and memories have dimmed over the last few years, so it’s fair to say at least some enthusiasts, many casual drinkers and more than a few of the cocktail cognoscenti are wondering what to expect. A few might be wondering if, like those of yesteryear who preferred New Coke (yes, some crave it even today!), if they might want to sock away a bottle or two of Knob Creek NAS while they can.

This was my first comparison of the two bourbons, and no one should be surprised when I say these two are close siblings. They were, in fact, much closer together than my comparison of Maker’s Mark 90 proof to Maker’s Mark 84 proof or our comparison of Elijah Craig 12 Year Old to Elijah Craig NAS. In this particular instance, the croakers and naysayers were dead wrong, and the NAS version was a reasonably close facsimile to the original.

In terms of differences, the nose of the 9 year old was softer. The NAS version had a woody current of cedar intertwined around its cinnamon and mint spiciness, but this was more muted in the 9 year old, coming over as cinnamon graham crackers.

Those elements almost flipped end over end once the sipping began, however. Although both were big bodied, chewy whiskeys, the 9 year old was the ballsier of the pair. The flavor was spicier, and this brought with it the earthy, barrel char note that I remember so well and is absent from the NAS version. Because that part is basically missing, the NAS version tastes sweeter. This extends into the finish, which is ballsier and more complex in the older version.

Drinking them side by side, what really jumps out at me is how similar they are, not the distinctions. This is so much so that the exercise has made me wonder what adding Jim Beam Bonded, aka “Baby Knob Creek,” to the mix might reveal. The comparison gave me cause to wonder if Noe and his staff weren’t thinking about creating a more approachable version of Knob Creek when they went to NAS, dialing back on the qualities that made the original a favorite among the bourbon drinkers of the 1990s, but often come as an acquired taste with the newcomers to the whiskey drinking these last several years. In terms of letter grade, my feelings about Knob Creek 9 Year Old and its B+ grade remain steady and true, while the NAS version was a B.