Knob Creek is turning up the proof on one of its well-known aged bourbons with the release of Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength, a limited-edition Kentucky straight bourbon bottled at 121.2 proof.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. announced the new release Tuesday from its Clermont, Kentucky, distillery, offering bourbon drinkers a cask-strength interpretation of Knob Creek’s 12-year-old whiskey.
The bourbon was matured for 12 years in charred American white oak barrels and hand-selected from 10 distinct lots aging in Knob Creek’s Clermont rickhouses. The whiskey was then carefully batched and bottled at cask strength at 121.2 proof, or 60.6% alcohol by volume.
“Knob Creek has always been about giving great bourbon the time it deserves,” Freddie Noe, eighth-generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co., said in announcing the release. “After twelve 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.”
Noe added that allowing the whiskey to remain at cask strength gives drinkers an opportunity to experience the bourbon closer to the way it emerged from the barrel. “Cask strength means the barrel gets the final say, and with this one, we were more than glad to listen,” Noe said.
Knob Creek describes the bourbon as having aromas of caramel, char and dried apple. The palate brings butterscotch, dried apple and seasoned oak, followed by a warm finish featuring caramel and subtle cinnamon.
The combination of a 12-year age statement and 121.2-proof bottling makes the new expression an interesting addition to the Knob Creek lineup, particularly for bourbon enthusiasts who prefer older whiskey without having its barrel strength significantly reduced before bottling.
The release also continues Knob Creek’s emphasis on age-stated bourbon. The brand’s portfolio includes its flagship 9 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey as well as Knob Creek 12 Year Old and Knob Creek 18 Year Old expressions.
Knob Creek traces its roots to 1992, when Booker Noe, sixth-generation Beam master distiller and Freddie Noe’s grandfather, introduced the brand as part of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Bourbon Collection. The brand was built around longer aging, higher proof and a fuller flavor profile at a time when lighter whiskey styles were prominent in the American market.
More than three decades later, the new 12 Year Old Cask Strength pushes those characteristics further by combining extended aging with barrel-strength proof.
For collectors and bourbon drinkers, the suggested retail price may also attract attention. Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength carries a suggested retail price of $89.99 for a 750-milliliter bottle.
That puts a 12-year-old, 121.2-proof Kentucky straight bourbon below the $100 mark at suggested retail — although actual shelf prices and availability will depend on individual markets and retailers.
Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength will be available nationwide for a limited time. The James B. Beam Distilling Co. says the release is arriving ahead of the holiday season and recommends drinking it neat, on the rocks or using it in a classic Old Fashioned.
For more information about Knob Creek® 12 Year Old Cask Strength and Knob Creek® award-winning bourbon and rye portfolios, visit knobcreek.com.
About Knob Creek® Bourbon
Knob Creek®, alongside Basil Hayden®, Booker’s® and Baker’s, is a founding member of the Small Batch American Whiskey category. Founded in 1992 by legendary distiller Booker Noe, the category reflected his vision to introduce distinctive, premium styles of bourbon defined by intentional barrel selection, aging, proof and flavor. Knob Creek was created to bring that vision to life through a full-flavored, pre-Prohibition-style bourbon made without shortcuts.
Knob Creek’s flagship bourbon is patiently aged for nine years in new American oak barrels with a maximum Level 4 char and bottled at 100 proof, delivering the unrivaled depth of flavor that has defined the brand for more than three decades.
Today, Knob Creek offers a portfolio of full-flavored bourbons and ryes, including age-stated expressions including 7 Year Old Rye, 9 Year Old Bourbon, 10 Year Old Rye, 12 Year Old Bourbon, and 15 Year Old Bourbon, single barrel releases and limited-edition innovations including Bourbon x Rye, 12 Year Old Cask Strength, and more all crafted with an unwavering commitment to quality and flavor.
About Suntory Global Spirits
As a world leader in premium spirits, Suntory Global Spirits inspires the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Known for its craftsmanship of premium American whiskeys, including Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark®; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki® and Hibiki®; and leading Scotch brands including Laphroaig®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces leading brands such as El Tesoro® and Hornitos® tequilas and Roku® gin, and is a world leader in Ready-To-Drink cocktails, with brands like -196™ (minus one-nine-six) and On The Rocks™ Bartender Created Cocktails.
A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, Suntory Global Spirits is driven by its core values of Growing for Good, Yatte Minahare and Giving Back to Society, and aims to have a positive impact on the planet, consumers and communities. Headquartered in New York City, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information, visit www.suntoryglobalspirits.com and www.drinksmart.com.
