Knob Creek (bourbon)

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Knob Creek Straight Bourbon whiskey
Knob Creek.JPG
Knob Creek
Type Bourbon whiskey
Manufacturer Suntory Global Spirits
Country of origin United States (Kentucky)
Introduced1992 [1]
Alcohol by volume  50.00%
Proof (US) 100
Related products Jim Beam
Website www.knobcreek.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Knob Creek is an American brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey produced by Suntory Global Spirits (a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings of Osaka, Japan) at the Jim Beam distillery 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.

Contents

The primary expression of the brand is aged for 9 years and bottled at 100 proof (higher than the typical 2 years and 80 proof that are the minimums required by U.S. Federal labeling requirements). Knob Creek comes in a rectangular bottle with a corked or twist-on cap and wax-sealed top. The bourbon has a dark, amber-brown color. [2]

History

The first Knob Creek bourbon was introduced in 1992, [1] named after nearby Knob Creek Farm. It shares the same general formulation as Jim Beam, but is aged and packaged differently. [2]

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. [3]

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. [4] In mid 2019 Beam Suntory announced the age statement would return to bottle labels sometime in 2020. [5]

Varieties

Bourbon barrels for Knob Creek Single Barrel Select are hand-selected by individual retailers, such as the Walt Disney Company for the hotel bars it owns within Walt Disney World (pictured). Bourbon - Knob Creek Single Barrel Select, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.jpg
Bourbon barrels for Knob Creek Single Barrel Select are hand-selected by individual retailers, such as the Walt Disney Company for the hotel bars it owns within Walt Disney World (pictured).

Reviews

Knob Creek bourbon has won a number of accolades from Spirit ratings organizations.

Food critic Morgan Murphy said "Aged 9 years, this whiskey stands as one of the first premium, small-batch bourbons." [13]

References

  1. 1 2 "Knob Creek Bourbon". BourbonEnthusiast.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Waymack, Mark H.; Harris, James F. (1995). The Book of Classic American Whiskeys. Open Court. pp. 115–116. ISBN   0812693051. OL   784496M.
  3. Clark, Andrew (July 20, 2009). "Knob Creek runs dry". The Guardian. London.
  4. "Knob Creek Bourbon Age Statement Heading off into Whiskey Sunset". September 22, 2016.
  5. "Knob Creek Bourbon to Get Its 9 Year Age Statement Back". June 13, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Johnston, Zach (November 8, 2023). "Every Bottle of Knob Creek Whiskey, Power Ranked for Fall Sipping". Uproxx . Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  7. Knob Creek Rye Product Page [ non-primary source needed ]
  8. Hopkins, Amy (September 26, 2013). "Knob Creek Unveils First Flavoured Bourbon". The Spirits Business. Union Press Ltd. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  9. "Knob Creek 2001 Face Off". Archived from the original on October 14, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  10. Kiely, Melita (October 6, 2022). "Knob Creek bottles its oldest Bourbon". The Spirits Business. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "Proof66.com's Summary Page for Knob Creek". Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. Murphy, Morgan (2014). Southern Living Bourbon & Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South's Favorite Foods. Oxmoor House. ISBN   978-0848743161.