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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Ezra Brooks 99
Knob Creek 12 Year and Ezra Brooks 99 sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus a blender-built, classically built bottling.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Ezra Brooks 99 |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 99 proof (49.5% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$22 – $28 ~$38 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Ezra Brooks 99 do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Ezra Brooks 99
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Ezra Brooks 99
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/5 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 5 out of 10
spice 6/4 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 4 out of 10
nuttiness 7/5 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 5 out of 10
fruit 3/2 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 2 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Ezra Brooks 99 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.
- Ezra Brooks 99: A high-proof value bottle from Lux Row. The nose is quiet, but the palate is bolder, with creamy caramel, brown sugar and a nutty, peanut-like edge.
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.
- Go with Ezra Brooks 99 if you want a high-proof, nutty, caramel-forward everyday bourbon at a significantly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); rocks, old-fashioned, cocktails (Ezra Brooks 99).