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Elijah Craig Small Batch vs Knob Creek 9 Year
Elijah Craig Small Batch and Knob Creek 9 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, classically built classic versus an old-guard, rye-forward classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Elijah Craig Small Batch | Knob Creek 9 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | Traditional Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | No age statement | 9 years |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +6 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$28 – $35 ~$6 less | ~$35 – $40 |
- Knob Creek 9 Year does 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
Elijah Craig Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Knob Creek 9 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Elijah Craig Small Batch Knob Creek 9 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 4/7 nuttiness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 7 out of 10
sweetness 6/5 sweetness: Elijah Craig Small Batch 6 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 5 out of 10
spice 5/6 spice: Elijah Craig Small Batch 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 6 out of 10
oak 7/8 oak: Elijah Craig Small Batch 7 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 8 out of 10
fruit 4/3 fruit: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 3 out of 10
heat 4/5 heat: Elijah Craig Small Batch 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 9 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The house grain character is what splits these.
- Elijah Craig Small Batch: A heavily oak-driven pour for the money, with vanilla bean and brown sugar riding on top of real char and smoke. The extra age shows up as wood depth rather than harshness.
- Knob Creek 9 Year: This classic Jim Beam offering leans heavily into traditional oak, rich caramel, vanilla, and the signature Beam peanut-funk nuttiness. At 100 proof it delivers a bolder, more structural wood-and-spice influence with a touch of citrus zest and mint on the finish.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Elijah Craig Small Batch if you want the best oak-forward value on the shelf, with more wood character than its price suggests.
- Go with Knob Creek 9 Year if you want a classic peanut-and-oak-forward Kentucky bourbon with an older age statement with slightly more proof behind it.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Elijah Craig Small Batch); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Knob Creek 9 Year).