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Knob Creek 12 Year vs E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch
Knob Creek 12 Year and E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 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 | E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 ~$5 less | ~$45 – $90 |
| Availability | Widely available easier to find | Allocated |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch do not publish an official mash bill.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.
E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 4 out of 10
oak 9/7 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 7 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 5 out of 10
spice 6/5 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch 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.
- E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch: Bottled-in-bond from the same low-rye Buffalo Trace recipe, and the extra 10 proof over standard BT gives it noticeably more grip. Butterscotch and tobacco with a long, drying finish that outlasts most bottles near its shelf price.
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 slightly lower price point.
- Go with E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch if you want the Buffalo Trace house profile with real structure and a bonded 100-proof backbone.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks, old-fashioned (E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch).