Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Knob Creek 12 Year Old Bourbon
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

Hard on the heels of the return of the classic Knob Creek 9 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon, Jim Beam has gone one better and introduced Knob Creek 12 Year Old as a permanent brand extension. Five years after the bourbon world went hysterical with talk of a shortage that was going to wipe all the good whiskey off the shelves, Beam has turned the no age statement trend on its head.

Although it remains unclear just how much Knob Creek 12 will be on the market, the key elements are 1) it’s older and 2) it’s in regular release, and not a one-off. Moreover, Knob Creek 12 is available at a reasonable price, comparable to many premium, attainable whiskeys. The shortage, if there ever really was one, was short-lived indeed.

The Bourbon
In the glass, KC12 has a clear, middle amber look, but it’s the nose that tells you straight away you’re dealing with a very different kind of creature from Knob Creek. It’s mustier and woodier than KC9 and especially the discontinued KC NAS, but in a pleasant way that adds to its brawny character. Beneath that signal of age is a thick base of caramel, ginger cookies and brown sugar.

The flavor turns away from that woody aspect the nose led with, going deep into the sweet side. It’s flavorful, albeit perhaps not quite as big-bodied as the nose suggests, kind of like a red velvet cake smothering in vanilla icing, with loads of brown sugar, ginger shavings and baking spices thrown in. The finish makes a third jink, turning (surprisingly) ashy.

This bourbon takes the classic Knob Creek profile and builds on it in a way that can’t really be called more sophisticated, but still brings more character to the table. If you are the kind of bourbon fan who likes what Jim Beam does, get a bottle.

The Price
Knob Creek 12 Year Old officially goes for $60.