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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Jefferson’s Very Small Batch
Knob Creek 12 Year and Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 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 | Jefferson’s Very Small Batch |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +18 proof | 82.3 proof (41.1% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$28 – $36 ~$31 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Jefferson’s Very Small Batch do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Jefferson’s Very Small Batch
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Jefferson’s Very Small Batch
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/4 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 4 out of 10
nuttiness 7/3 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 3 out of 10
heat 5/2 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 2 out of 10
spice 6/4 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 4 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Jefferson’s Very Small Batch 6 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.
- Jefferson’s Very Small Batch: A blend of sourced barrels bottled at a very gentle 82.3 proof. Easy and inoffensive, but thin enough that it is hard to recommend over bonded bottles costing less.
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 Jefferson’s Very Small Batch if you want an especially soft, low-proof pour and gentleness matters more than intensity at a significantly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); rocks, cocktails, highball (Jefferson’s Very Small Batch).