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Knob Creek 12 Year vs Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Comparing Knob Creek 12 Year and Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond reveals a matchup between a traditional, spice-driven Kentucky staple and a modern, wheated craft expression.
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 12 Year | Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | Wheated Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley | 64% corn, 24% wheat, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 12 years +6 yr | 6 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$55 – $70 | ~$45 – $60 ~$10 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.
Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 12 Year Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 9/5 oak: Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 5 out of 10
spice 6/3 spice: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 3 out of 10
fruit 3/6 fruit: Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 6 out of 10
nuttiness 7/4 nuttiness: Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 4 out of 10
sweetness 6/7 sweetness: Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10, Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond 7 out of 10
heat 5/5 heat: Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10, Wilderness Trail 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.
- Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond: A sweet-mash, bonded wheated bourbon from a distillery founded by two fermentation scientists, and the technical care shows in how clean it tastes. One of the strongest craft arguments on the shelf.
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 Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond if you want a bonded, sweet-mash wheater from a modern distillery doing genuinely careful work at a slightly lower price point.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year); neat, rocks (Wilderness Trail Bottled-in-Bond).