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Knob Creek 12 Year vs New Riff Bottled-in-Bond
Put Knob Creek 12 Year next to New Riff Bottled-in-Bond and you have a classic, high-rye stalwart set against a contemporary, high-rye craft build.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | New Riff Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 65% corn, 30% rye, 5% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years +8 yr | 4 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$38 – $45 ~$21 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year does 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.
New Riff Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year New Riff Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/5 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
nuttiness 7/3 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
spice 6/9 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 9 out of 10
sweetness 6/4 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
heat 5/6 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- 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.
- New Riff Bottled-in-Bond: At 30% rye this is about as spice-forward as bourbon gets before becoming rye whiskey. Peppery and herbal with mint and dill, non-chill-filtered for texture, and noticeably dry rather than sweet.
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 an older age statement.
- Go with New Riff Bottled-in-Bond if you want aggressive rye spice and a dry, herbal profile from a modern craft distillery at a lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (New Riff Bottled-in-Bond).