Knob Creek bourbon was introduced when my dad was in his 40s, but unlike bigger brands such as Jack Daniel's, something about it stuck with him. He didn't drink often -- and when he did, he preferred the pageantry of Maker's Mark -- but there were at least a few times when he'd come back from the liquor store (shoutout to Warwick's I.M. Gan, best selection in Rhode Island) excited to try Knob Creek.
So, when I headed back home about a decade ago for a friend's wedding, I picked up a bottle to sip over ice while the groomsmen played cornhole, complained about the Red Sox and eventually suited up. It was an easy to drink tone-setter for a night where my dance moves, next to my heavily pregnant and genuinely exhausted wife, would be immortalized
in group chats for years to come.
That's all a very long way to say I have good memories of Knob Creek, but it wouldn't be my first choice if I'm looking for rich, deep flavors on a special occasion. The distiller's 12-year Cask Strength Kentucky bourbon aims to change that. With a suggested retail price of $89.99, it's one of the more expensive arrows in the brand's quiver. Let's see if it's worth drawing.
Knob Creek 12-year Cask Strength: B
The smell is lighter than you'd expect from a cask strength whiskey. It's warm and mellow, with vanilla, a little leather and some sweet cherry syrup lurking underneath.
The first sip unveils that boozy payload with more force. It's not overwhelming, but it lets you know this is uncut goodness. As you'd expect from a 12 year, there's a lot of oak involved, with that woody vanilla weaving into the cherry/plum that came through on the nose. It's a mild sweetness balanced off by big, smooth mash flavors. There's a bit of cinnamon and roasted sugar, creating a familiar but complex profile.
That depth of flavor sticks with you. This is a whiskey that lingers long after it has cleared your lips. It's not a beginner bourbon, but one that rewards someone looking for something a bit more challenging. Maybe you see it as harshness, maybe you see it as a puzzle to unlock one sip at a time.
I lean toward the latter.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Knob Creek 12-Year Cask Strength Kentucky bourbon over a cold can of Hamm’s?
From purely a taste standpoint, yes. And if you can find it for less than $60, yes. But at full MSRP you can find better options with a more interesting rainbow of flavors hidden inside a fine brown party liquor.
This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Knob Creek 12-year Cask Strength review: Deep, strong and a little overrated?
