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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Blanton’s Single Barrel
On paper Knob Creek 12 Year and Blanton’s Single Barrel are near neighbours — both high-rye bourbons — so price (~$55 – $70 vs. ~$80 – $150) is what actually decides it.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Blanton’s Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 75% corn, 15% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +7 proof | 93 proof (46.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 ~$53 less | ~$80 – $150 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Blanton’s Single Barrel do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Blanton’s Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Blanton’s Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/3 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 3 out of 10
oak 9/6 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 3/6 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
heat 5/4 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
spice 6/6 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Blanton’s Single Barrel 6 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
The house grain character is what splits these.
- 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.
- Blanton’s Single Barrel: The bottle that invented the single-barrel category and still trades largely on its horse-stopper cork and its scarcity. The whiskey itself is genuinely good — honeyed and citrus-led with nutmeg spice — but at secondary prices you are paying for the bottle as much as the pour.
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 at a significantly lower price point.
- Go with Blanton’s Single Barrel if you want the original single-barrel presentation and a honeyed, citrus-led profile, and the hunt is part of the appeal.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks (Blanton’s Single Barrel).