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Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel vs Knob Creek 12 Year
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel and Knob Creek 12 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 Toasted Barrel | Knob Creek 12 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 | 12 years |
| Proof | 94 proof (47% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) +6 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$60 – $80 | ~$55 – $70 ~$8 less |
| Availability | Limited | Widely available easier to find |
- Knob Creek 12 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 Toasted Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Knob Creek 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
sweetness 8/6 sweetness: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 8 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
nuttiness 5/7 nuttiness: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10
spice 5/6 spice: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
fruit 4/3 fruit: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10
heat 4/5 heat: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10
oak 9/9 oak: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel 9 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Sweetness is where these two part ways.
- Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel: Finished in a second toasted (not charred) barrel, which produces an unmistakable toasted-marshmallow note. Sweet and heavily wooded, and one of the more distinctive finishes any major producer makes.
- 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 Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel if you want a distinctive toasted-oak, marshmallow-sweet finish you will not find in a standard bourbon.
- Go with Knob Creek 12 Year if you want the Beam house profile pushed as far into oak as it goes while staying balanced at a slightly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel); neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year).