Maker: Jim Beam, Clermont, Kentucky, USA (Suntory)
Style: Rye recipe bourbon.
Age: 12 y/o
Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
Michigan state minimum: $70
Appearance: Dark Copper.
Nose: Charred oak, leather, old wet lumber.
Palate: Brown sugar, acorns, burn. Water brings out a little more complexity, adding eucalyptus and clove.
Finish: Hot and oaky.
Parting words: The standard 9 y/o Knob Creek has been one of my favorite bourbons for many years. I love it because it’s easy to find, high proof, affordable ($37 in Michigan), and mature but not over oaked. To my palate, 6-9 years is peak maturity for most bourbons. Exceptional ones, or ones aged on the ground floor of the rickhouse can go longer, but for most, 6-9 is the sweet spot. Before that, the whiskey can be rough and uncouth. After that, it can become one dimensional and fall into the “beaver bourbon” category, a term I coined to describe bourbons that only a creature accustomed to chewing on trees could enjoy.
Unfortunately, Knob Creek 12 is a product for the beaver market. Oak isn’t the only thing going on here, but it dominates the palate, nose, and finish. I had hoped that a distillery with stocks the size of Beam’s would be able to select a few balanced barrels for this expression, but apparently not. I can’t imagine what the newer 15 and 18 y/o expressions taste like. Even the beavers might object at that point.
If you’re the type who like a woodier bourbon, you might enjoy this, but I did not. The price isn’t too bad, considering what some bourbons at half the age go for the days, but Knob Creek 12 y/o old is still not recommended.
Sipology 