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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Comparing Knob Creek 12 Year and Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond is a closer contest than it looks — both are high-rye bourbons, separated mainly by age (12 years vs. 4 years).
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 72% corn, 18% rye, 10% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years +8 yr | 4 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$45 – $55 ~$13 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.
Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/3 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
oak 9/7 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/7 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
spice 6/6 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond 5 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.
- Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond: The bonded entry in the Whiskey Row series and a noticeable step up in density from the standard 100. More oak and more weight, though the price gap to the 100 proof is harder to justify than the flavour gap suggests.
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 Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, denser take on the Old Forester profile with more barrel behind it at a lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, old-fashioned (Old Forester 1897 Bottled-in-Bond).