Knob Creek is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by Beam Suntory at the Jim Beamdistillery in Clermont, Kentucky. It is one of the four Jim Beam small batch bourbon brands targeted for the high-end liquor market. Its siblings in the line are Booker's, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's. The primary expression of the brand is bottled at 100 proof. Knob Creek was aged for nine years until late 2016, when Beam Suntory removed the age statement from the label due to tight inventory that could not be guaranteed to be aged the full nine years. In mid 2019 Beam Suntory announced the age statement would return to bottle labels sometime in 2020 Knob Creek comes in a rectangular bottle with a corked or twist-on cap and wax-sealed top. The bourbon has a dark, golden-brown color. According to the company, this is due to the relatively long aging process, which allows it to absorb more sugar from the wood than is the case for the other Jim Beam Small Batch brands. The company describes the flavor as "rich, sweet, woody, full-bodied, almost fruity", and the aroma as "toasted nuts, grain, oak". In 2009, Beam ran a campaign to publicize their shortage of Knob Creek bourbon. Demand exceeded the 2000 forecast, when the stock began the aging process.
Varieties
Original 100 proof : The first Knob Creek bourbon was introduced in 1992. Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve: a 120 proof single barrel bourbon, was introduced in 2010. Knob Creek Rye: a 100 proof straight rye whiskey bearing the Knob Creek name was released in 2012. This is the first Knob Creek whiskey not to carry an age statement, instead being advertised only as "Patiently Aged". Knob Creek Smoked Maple Bourbon: Introduced in 2013. It is bottled at 90 proof, and is the company's first flavored bourbonliqueur. Knob Creek 2001 Limited Edition: Introduced in 2016, this was a one-time release that marks the passing of the production process from Booker Noe to his son Fred. This release was made from barrels that Booker stored in 2001 and were finished by son Fred. There were four different batches released in 2016, retailing at around $130 per bottle. Bottles were 100 proof and aged for 14 years, which is 5 years longer than the Original 100 and Knob Creek Single Barrel.
Reviews
Knob Creek bourbon has won a number of accolades from Spirit ratings organizations.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competitions gave it two double gold, three golds, one silver, and one bronze medal between 2005 and 2012, and gave it a "Best Bourbon" award in 2015.
Wine Enthusiast Magazine rated it in its 90–95 point interval in 2005.
The Beverage Testing Institute rated it twice, giving it 90 points on one occasion and 91 points on another.
Food criticMorgan Murphy said "Aged 9 years, this whiskey stands as one of the first premium, small-batch bourbons."
