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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
Knob Creek 12 Year and Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond sit on opposite sides of a familiar divide: an old-guard, rye-forward classic versus an old-guard, classically built classic.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Traditional Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | Not disclosed |
| Age | 12 years +8 yr | 4 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$16 – $22 ~$44 less |
- Knob Creek 12 Year and Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond do not publish an official mash bill.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.
Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/5 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
spice 6/5 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
fruit 3/4 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/6 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond 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.
- Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond: A bonded 100-proof bourbon at a price that barely seems possible, though distribution is patchy outside Kentucky. Unremarkable in the best way: it does everything a bourbon should and nothing extra.
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 Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded Kentucky bourbon for under twenty dollars, if you can find it in your state.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks, old-fashioned, cocktails (Very Old Barton Bottled-in-Bond).