Knob Creek is owned by the parent company of Jim Beam (now Beam Suntory, a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings in Japan), and this is one of the Clermont, Kentucky’s easier to find whiskeys.

It is the cheaper sibling of their small batch brands, alongside Booker’s, Baker’s and Basil Hayden. Introduced in 1992, Knob Creek Small Batch is the original of the brand line, with a few variants follwoing over the last 30 years. And while it is not a whale by any means, it is still a solid bourbon well worth the price tag of $35-40 or so it typically runs.

Aged nine years and full proof at 100, Knob Creek is more complex than many of the whiskies in the same price range. The nine years gives it a vanilla flavor, and the mash bill is heavier on rye than most bourbons, meaning you get the oak and spice combo. It smells of the smoky oak and then smacks in the aftertaste with the spice. Worth keeping in the rotation for one that is not that hard to find. Comparatively in it’s weight class, I’ll take Knob Creek over Buffalo Trace.

Whiskey Ratings

93: Lagavulin 11 Offerman Edition
92: Jefferson’s Reserve Very Old.
90: High West Campfire, Few Rye, Knob Creek Small Batch 100
89: Old Forester Rye
88: Buffalo Trace
87: Breckenridge Bourbon
85: Wolfburn Aurora
83: Buchanan’s Deluxe 12

Gin Ratings

88: Dogfish Head Compelling Gin