
1992 was a big year for Jim Beam. Four years after rolling out Booker Noe’s inaugural release of Booker’s small-batch bourbon — thus coining the phrase — from the Master Distiller’s own private reserve, the Kentucky-based distillery unveiled three more small-batch sub-labels: Basil Hayden’s, Baker’s, and Knob Creek.
Bridging the gap between the higher-proof (and higher-priced) Baker’s and the mellow Basil Hayden’s was Knob Creek, a bourbon with a bold profile much similar to how it was consumed prior to Prohibition. In the past decade or so, the brand has come to emblemize top-shelf bourbon whiskey, if not help define it thanks to the ubiquity of its more affordable counterparts. Celebrating 30 years of excellence, the accessible premium label has released its highest age statement yet.
Matured for 18 years in new charred American oak barrels, this latest expression from Knob Creek is aged for twice as long as its flagship straight bourbon, and at the same 100 proof. The full-bodied palate is said to possess notes of baking spices, vanilla, and brown sugar, fading into a warm finish of spice and fruit.
Limited-edition 750mL bottles of Knob Creek 18 Year Old bourbon should begin rolling out to retailers today around the country at a price of around $170.