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Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series vs Knob Creek 12 Year
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series and Knob Creek 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, classically built craft style versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series | Knob Creek 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | Not disclosed | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 12 years |
| Proof | 98.9 proof (49.5% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$55 – $70 |
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series and Knob Creek 12 Year do not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-08; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series Knob Creek 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 3/7 nuttiness: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 3 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10
oak 6/9 oak: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 6 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10
fruit 6/3 fruit: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 6 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10
sweetness 7/6 sweetness: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 7 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
spice 5/6 spice: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The house grain character is what splits these.
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series: A blend of Bardstown's own young distillate with older sourced Kentucky whiskey, which is exactly what the name describes. Polished and fruit-leaning, and a clear demonstration that the blending is the skill on show.
- Knob Creek 12 Year: Three more years in the barrel than the standard Knob Creek, and the wood does all the talking. Deep oak and leather over the familiar Beam peanut note, drying toward genuinely tannic on the finish.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series if you want a well-built modern blend that shows what careful blending does rather than what age alone does.
- Go with Knob Creek 12 Year if you want the Beam house profile pushed as far into oak as it goes while staying balanced.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series); neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year).