Compare
Knob Creek 12 Year vs Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond
Knob Creek 12 Year and Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus a new-wave, rye-forward craft style.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years +6 yr | 6 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$45 – $50 ~$15 less |
- 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
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/2 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 2 out of 10
oak 9/5 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
fruit 3/7 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
spice 6/8 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 8 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Nutty, grain-driven character is the divider.
- 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.
- 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.
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 an older age statement.
- 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.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series High Rye Bottled-in-Bond).