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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Penelope Four Grain
Knob Creek 12 Year and Penelope Four Grain sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus a sourced, classically built blend.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Penelope Four Grain |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Four-Grain Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 74% corn, 7% rye, 16% wheat, 3% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years | No age statement |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) +20 proof | 80 proof (40% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$30 – $40 ~$28 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Penelope Four Grain do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Penelope Four Grain
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Penelope Four Grain
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/3 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 3 out of 10
spice 6/3 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 3 out of 10
heat 5/2 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 2 out of 10
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 4 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 5 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Penelope Four Grain 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.
- Penelope Four Grain: A light, low-proof blend of corn, wheat, rye and barley. Honey, almond and orchard fruit keep it sweet and easy, though it reads young and thin when sipped neat.
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 Penelope Four Grain if you want an easy, light, honeyed bourbon that mixes well at a lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); highball, cocktails (Penelope Four Grain).