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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Eagle Rare 10 Year
Knob Creek 12 Year and Eagle Rare 10 Year sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Eagle Rare 10 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years +2 yr | 10 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +10 proof | 90 proof (45% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$40 – $65 ~$10 less |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Eagle Rare 10 Year do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Eagle Rare 10 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Eagle Rare 10 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 4 out of 10
spice 6/4 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 4 out of 10
oak 9/7 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 7 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 5 out of 10
heat 5/3 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 3 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Eagle Rare 10 Year 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.
- Eagle Rare 10 Year: A 10-year age statement at a gentle 90 proof gives this a polished, dry-oak elegance rather than power. Toffee and orange peel lead into leather and dried fruit, with a long, notably dry finish.
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 more proof behind it.
- Go with Eagle Rare 10 Year if you want an elegant, older, low-proof sipper where refinement matters more than intensity at a slightly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks (Eagle Rare 10 Year).