Knob Creek’s Cask Strength 12 Year Old Bourbon Has Returned
About six years ago, Knob Creek, one of the brands that makes up the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, released a 12-year-old bourbon. Shortly after that, a cask-strength version of that bourbon arrived, and whiskey fans responded very positively to the move. Well, the good news is that this release has returned, and the latest edition of Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength is a very good whiskey that is worth tracking down.
Knob Creek was first created more than 30 years ago in 1992 by Booker Noe, the legendary Beam master distiller who was the father of seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe and grandfather of eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe. The brand originally debuted with a 9-year-old bourbon bottled at 100 proof. While that proof has remained constant for the core expressions in the lineup, the bourbon lost its age statement a decade ago in 2016 due to what parent company Suntory Global Spirits (known as Beam Suntory at the time) said was a shortage of inventory. Well, things have certainly changed because currently there appears to be a glut of whiskey, so after the brand brought the 9-year age statement back, it also launched the 12 Year, as well as 15, 18, and 21-year-old expressions.
The latter two age statements definitely veer toward the oakier end of the spectrum, as you might expect from bourbon that old, although they are still surprisingly good. But the 12 and 15 sit in the sweet spot of maturation, and the flavors picked up after more than a decade in barrels are especially prominent at cask strength—which happens to be very approachable at 121.2 proof.
“Knob Creek has always been about giving great bourbon the time it deserves,” said Freddie Noe in a statement. “After 12 years in the rickhouse, this batch had the depth and full flavor we were looking for, and we knew we wanted to share it exactly as it was. Cask strength means the barrel gets the final say, and with this one, we were more than glad to listen.”
According to the brand, the bourbon for this release was aged in 10 “distinct lots in Knob Creek’s Clermont, Kentucky rickhouses,” the epicenter of whiskey produced at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. (distilling operations have been paused there for the year, however, while whiskey is still being made at the Boston plant and the Fred B. Noe Distillery). The bourbon has notes of caramel, maple, pecan, vanilla, charred oak, cherry syrup, and ripe peach on the palate, along with some warm nutmeg that lingers on the finish. You can find the new Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength available to purchase now at select retailers around the country (SRP $90).
