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Knob Creek 9 Year vs New Riff Single Barrel
Comparing Knob Creek 9 Year and New Riff Single Barrel is a closer contest than it looks — both are high-rye bourbons, separated mainly by price (~$35 – $40 vs. ~$55 – $70).
Key Specifications
| Feature | Knob Creek 9 Year | New Riff Single Barrel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 9 years +4 yr | 5 years |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 105 proof (52.5% ABV) +5 proof |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$35 – $40 ~$25 less | ~$55 – $70 |
- Knob Creek 9 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 9 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
New Riff Single Barrel
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Knob Creek 9 Year New Riff Single Barrel
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
nuttiness 7/3 nuttiness: Knob Creek 9 Year 7 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 3 out of 10
spice 6/9 spice: Knob Creek 9 Year 6 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 9 out of 10
oak 8/6 oak: Knob Creek 9 Year 8 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 6 out of 10
fruit 3/5 fruit: Knob Creek 9 Year 3 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 5 out of 10
heat 5/7 heat: Knob Creek 9 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 7 out of 10
sweetness 5/4 sweetness: Knob Creek 9 Year 5 out of 10, New Riff Single Barrel 4 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Nutty, grain-driven character is the divider.
- Knob Creek 9 Year: This classic Jim Beam offering leans heavily into traditional oak, rich caramel, vanilla, and the signature Beam peanut-funk nuttiness. At 100 proof it delivers a bolder, more structural wood-and-spice influence with a touch of citrus zest and mint on the finish.
- New Riff Single Barrel: The single-barrel expression of New Riff's 30% rye mash, non-chill-filtered and at higher proof than the bonded version. As dry and peppery as bourbon gets before it stops being bourbon.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Knob Creek 9 Year if you want a classic peanut-and-oak-forward Kentucky bourbon with an older age statement at a lower price point.
- Go with New Riff Single Barrel if you want the most aggressively spice-driven bourbon in this list, with single-barrel variation on top with the texture that comes from skipping chill filtration.
Best enjoyed neat, rocks, old-fashioned (Knob Creek 9 Year); neat, old-fashioned (New Riff Single Barrel).