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Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond vs Knob Creek 12 Year
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond and Knob Creek 12 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: a new-wave, rye-forward craft style versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond | Knob Creek 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 6 years | 12 years +6 yr |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$45 – $50 ~$15 less | ~$55 – $70 |
- Knob Creek 12 Year does not publish an official mash bill.
- US shelf prices as of 2026-10; they vary widely by market.
AG’s Rating and AG’s Notes
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond Knob Creek 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 2/7 nuttiness: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 2 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10
oak 5/9 oak: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10
fruit 7/3 fruit: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10
spice 8/6 spice: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 8 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Nutty, grain-driven character is the divider.
- Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond: Bardstown's own high-rye recipe, distilled on site rather than sourced. More than a third rye gives it a bright, minty, fruit-and-pepper profile over caramel and light oak.
- 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 Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond if you want a spicy, fruit-forward high-rye bourbon with the guarantees of a bonded label at a lower price point.
- Go with Knob Creek 12 Year if you want the Beam house profile pushed as far into oak as it goes while staying balanced with an older age statement.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond); neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year).