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Knob Creek 12 Year vs 1792 Small Batch
Knob Creek 12 Year and 1792 Small Batch are cut from similar cloth: two takes on high-rye bourbons, where the real difference is price (~$55 – $70 vs. ~$26 – $34).
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | 1792 Small Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +6 proof | 93.7 proof (46.9% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$26 – $34 ~$33 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and 1792 Small Batch do not publish an official mash bill.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
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
1792 Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year 1792 Small Batch
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/6 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 6 out of 10
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 4 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 5 out of 10
spice 6/7 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 7 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, 1792 Small Batch 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Barrel influence is the main separator.
- 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.
- 1792 Small Batch: Barton's flagship and one of the most under-discussed bottles at its price. A high-rye character with cocoa and orange peel, and considerably more going on than the shelf position suggests.
Which One Should You Choose?
- 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 slightly more proof behind it.
- Go with 1792 Small Batch if you want an overlooked, spice-forward Kentucky bourbon that punches above its price.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (1792 Small Batch).