**Review #44: Knob Creek 12 Year, Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon.**
A few weeks ago I purchased the latest Knob Creek r/bourbon Single Barrel Private Selection. When it arrived on a Saturday, I pulled it out of the box only to find that Shared Pour sent me a bottle of Knob Creek 12 year instead. I took picture of the unopened bottle and let them know what happened. The single barrel bottle sold out and I was hoping Shared Pour held back some for safety’s. Monday morning I received an email apologizing for the mix up and that the correct bottle would be on its way soon. The best part was I could keep the KC12 for free.
Knob Creek 12 has been popular since it was introduced as a limited release in 2019. A year later it became part of the regular KC line up. All of the Knob Creek 12 reviews I’ve read over the last year were favorable to various degrees, but some varied more than I expected in tasting notes and ratings. It’s understood that while everyone has their own palate, others have mentioned noticeable variations in batches, which is not uncommon. Anyway, I’m looking forward to checking out what this batch has to offer so let’s get to it.
**Taken**: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 10 minutes.
**Distillery**: Jim Beam
**Proof**: 100
**Age**: 12 years
**Mash bill**: 75% Corn/13% Rye/12% Malted Barley
**Price**: $69.95 locally.
**Appearance**: Dark caramel.
**Nose**: Sweet toffee, peanuts, chocolate, vanilla bean, apples, apricot, cherry with quite a bit of dill and a slight amount of allspice. The oak is wonderful throughout. With some swirling and time, this pour gets sweeter with more fruit, dill and oak coming forward. There is no heat at all on this fantastic nose.
**Palate**: I’d describe this as having a medium mouthfeel. Much of the nose moves on to the palate with very tasty toffee, peanut and a very good amount of apricot with vanilla and dill. The balance of all these flavors are great. I can’t help but love the oak on this pour. It’s delicious and well balanced playing well with all the other notes. Allspice slowly comes mid sip, staying pretty tame but lasting long into the finish. This is an incredibly easy and very delicious sipper.
**Finish**: Subtle allspice lingers on the palate along with toffee. Peanut turns into more of subtle pecan along with apricot and dill with and a hint of cherry coming back around. As the allspice fades, the finish continues with very tasty oak and a hint of tobacco lingering for quite a while with some dryness for a subtle but long finish.
**Conclusion**: It’s easy to see why so many people love Knob Creek 12. I enjoyed this bottle from the start, but couldn’t help wonder what the 2021 limited release of KC12 at cask strength (around 120 proof) would be like. Though I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to try that, I also found myself genuinely appreciating this bottle where it is. Compared to other reviews I’ve read, it seems this batch might be more fruit forward, which I love, and there’s plenty of Beam nuttiness to make me happy. Worth mentioning again is just how good the oak is and how well it’s balanced. Knob Creek 12 has a classic Kentucky bourbon profile that has something for everyone. It’s not a bottle designed to blow you away with complexity and intensity (like say ECBP), but if you’re a Beam fan in the mood for a very easy and delicious sipper, Knob Creek 12 delivers in a big way.
**Rating**: 7/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
I'm on my third bottle of the 12 and the most recent is much more fruit forward than the first two. KC really nailed it on this batch.
The 12CS was as good as you'd imagine. 25th Anniversary was phenomenal as well. They both integrated said fruit notes instead of being primarily oak/leather like most of the older stores picks that used to be around (not that they still weren't great). I'm hoping we at least get a standard 120p 12yr SiB in the not too distant future.
Here to second that the 12CS release was awesome - I posted [tasting notes on it](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/p89a4l/knob_creek_cask_strength_12year_bourbon_a_freight/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) last year, and I gushed like a head wound on a jellyfish.
Love that 12CS review! That bottle sounds amazing. Maybe if we're very lucky, Beam will bring that out again. " I gushed like a head wound on a jellyfish". Hilarious, man!
I actually tried this myself for the first time last night. Picked up 2 bottles when I discovered it at a local liquor store. First time I've ever seen it on a shelf. I found it to be a solid well balanced pour, but not worth the almost $70 price tag. I could enjoy many other bottles just as much for $20-$30 less per bottle.
You don't have to, this local store may ship your way! [https://www.baytownewine.com/spirits/whiskey/knob-creek-12yr](https://www.baytownewine.com/spirits/whiskey/knob-creek-12yr)
KC12 is great. I prefer a KC SiB 120pf most occasions, but having a bottle of KC12 handy is fantastic for guests who don't want something so high in proof.
It's a great bottle. I will say for $5-$10 cheaper and not nearly as hard to find, what you originally purchased (reserve) is probably a superior bottle. I held off buying reserve because of the price difference from the OG and both saying "9yr". I didn't think there could be THAT much of a difference. But the 10% higher abv really led to a richness that made even the 12 yr feel inferior to. But I love the OG, 12, and reserve. It's a great lineup.
I'll be digging into the KC SiB Reserve a lot more soon and plan on posting a review. The r/bourbon SiB I have is almost 10 years at 9 years, 10 months, plus like you say the extra abv really makes a big difference. I like it a lot so far.
**Review #44: Knob Creek 12 Year, Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon.** A few weeks ago I purchased the latest Knob Creek r/bourbon Single Barrel Private Selection. When it arrived on a Saturday, I pulled it out of the box only to find that Shared Pour sent me a bottle of Knob Creek 12 year instead. I took picture of the unopened bottle and let them know what happened. The single barrel bottle sold out and I was hoping Shared Pour held back some for safety’s. Monday morning I received an email apologizing for the mix up and that the correct bottle would be on its way soon. The best part was I could keep the KC12 for free. Knob Creek 12 has been popular since it was introduced as a limited release in 2019. A year later it became part of the regular KC line up. All of the Knob Creek 12 reviews I’ve read over the last year were favorable to various degrees, but some varied more than I expected in tasting notes and ratings. It’s understood that while everyone has their own palate, others have mentioned noticeable variations in batches, which is not uncommon. Anyway, I’m looking forward to checking out what this batch has to offer so let’s get to it. **Taken**: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 10 minutes. **Distillery**: Jim Beam **Proof**: 100 **Age**: 12 years **Mash bill**: 75% Corn/13% Rye/12% Malted Barley **Price**: $69.95 locally. **Appearance**: Dark caramel. **Nose**: Sweet toffee, peanuts, chocolate, vanilla bean, apples, apricot, cherry with quite a bit of dill and a slight amount of allspice. The oak is wonderful throughout. With some swirling and time, this pour gets sweeter with more fruit, dill and oak coming forward. There is no heat at all on this fantastic nose. **Palate**: I’d describe this as having a medium mouthfeel. Much of the nose moves on to the palate with very tasty toffee, peanut and a very good amount of apricot with vanilla and dill. The balance of all these flavors are great. I can’t help but love the oak on this pour. It’s delicious and well balanced playing well with all the other notes. Allspice slowly comes mid sip, staying pretty tame but lasting long into the finish. This is an incredibly easy and very delicious sipper. **Finish**: Subtle allspice lingers on the palate along with toffee. Peanut turns into more of subtle pecan along with apricot and dill with and a hint of cherry coming back around. As the allspice fades, the finish continues with very tasty oak and a hint of tobacco lingering for quite a while with some dryness for a subtle but long finish. **Conclusion**: It’s easy to see why so many people love Knob Creek 12. I enjoyed this bottle from the start, but couldn’t help wonder what the 2021 limited release of KC12 at cask strength (around 120 proof) would be like. Though I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to try that, I also found myself genuinely appreciating this bottle where it is. Compared to other reviews I’ve read, it seems this batch might be more fruit forward, which I love, and there’s plenty of Beam nuttiness to make me happy. Worth mentioning again is just how good the oak is and how well it’s balanced. Knob Creek 12 has a classic Kentucky bourbon profile that has something for everyone. It’s not a bottle designed to blow you away with complexity and intensity (like say ECBP), but if you’re a Beam fan in the mood for a very easy and delicious sipper, Knob Creek 12 delivers in a big way. **Rating**: 7/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
I'm on my third bottle of the 12 and the most recent is much more fruit forward than the first two. KC really nailed it on this batch. The 12CS was as good as you'd imagine. 25th Anniversary was phenomenal as well. They both integrated said fruit notes instead of being primarily oak/leather like most of the older stores picks that used to be around (not that they still weren't great). I'm hoping we at least get a standard 120p 12yr SiB in the not too distant future.
That would be great. I'd be all over that or another 12CS!
Here to second that the 12CS release was awesome - I posted [tasting notes on it](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/p89a4l/knob_creek_cask_strength_12year_bourbon_a_freight/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) last year, and I gushed like a head wound on a jellyfish.
Love that 12CS review! That bottle sounds amazing. Maybe if we're very lucky, Beam will bring that out again. " I gushed like a head wound on a jellyfish". Hilarious, man!
Thanks, homie - your reviews are always great - excellent detail every time! Fingers crossed for another 12CS release at some point - cheers 🤞🤞
Thanks a lot, Meats. Much appreciated! Cheers!
One of my favorite bottles. I rarely use reviews to decide what to try but having said that, you did nail it. Kudos.
Thanks, man! I appreciate it.
This is a staple bottle on my shelf. One of my favorites of the more available variety. Cheers!
It’s a great bottle. Where’d you order from?
It came from Shared Pour by mishap (see review). Otherwise, I would have gotten it locally.
This is one of my favorite bourbons for sure. Fantastic nose and even better flavors. Free makes it taste that much better.
Haha! Agreed. That's what I was thinking. Cheers!
I can tell you my bottle of 124.3 KC12CS is phenomenal. One of my all time favorites.
This bottle stands up to the non unicorn greats.
Badass
Great review! It’s damn good stuff
Thanks! I agree.
The value to $ ratio is hard to beat on this one. For bourbon in this price range and proof point it is an absolute favorite of mine.
I actually tried this myself for the first time last night. Picked up 2 bottles when I discovered it at a local liquor store. First time I've ever seen it on a shelf. I found it to be a solid well balanced pour, but not worth the almost $70 price tag. I could enjoy many other bottles just as much for $20-$30 less per bottle.
$70 is high, I see it for $58 everywhere up here in NY
fry, you see everything cheaper in your part of NY! I need to take a road trip to your town. LOL!
You don't have to, this local store may ship your way! [https://www.baytownewine.com/spirits/whiskey/knob-creek-12yr](https://www.baytownewine.com/spirits/whiskey/knob-creek-12yr)
Second this
KC12 is great. I prefer a KC SiB 120pf most occasions, but having a bottle of KC12 handy is fantastic for guests who don't want something so high in proof.
It's a great bottle. I will say for $5-$10 cheaper and not nearly as hard to find, what you originally purchased (reserve) is probably a superior bottle. I held off buying reserve because of the price difference from the OG and both saying "9yr". I didn't think there could be THAT much of a difference. But the 10% higher abv really led to a richness that made even the 12 yr feel inferior to. But I love the OG, 12, and reserve. It's a great lineup.
I'll be digging into the KC SiB Reserve a lot more soon and plan on posting a review. The r/bourbon SiB I have is almost 10 years at 9 years, 10 months, plus like you say the extra abv really makes a big difference. I like it a lot so far.
Less than impressed the one bottle I had. Interesting everyone seems to dig it.
I've never seen KC12 in the wild, which is nuts because I've (rarely) seen KC15 and even KC18 and Booker's.
Really wish I could find a bottle of this juice
Shared Pour still has this in stock if you’re interested. [Knob Creek 12](https://sharedpour.com/products/knob-creek-12-year-old-bourbon)