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Old Grand-Dad Bonded vs Knob Creek 12 Year
Old Grand-Dad Bonded and Knob Creek 12 Year are cut from similar cloth: two takes on high-rye bourbons, where the real difference is age (4 years vs. 12 years).
Key Specifications
| Feature | Old Grand-Dad Bonded | Knob Creek 12 Year |
|---|---|---|
| Type / Style | High-Rye Bourbon | High-Rye Bourbon |
| Mash Bill 1 | 63% corn, 27% rye, 10% malted barley | 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley |
| Age | 4 years | 12 years +8 yr |
| Proof | 100 proof (50% ABV) | 100 proof (50% ABV) |
| Approx. Price 2 | ~$24 – $30 ~$36 less | ~$55 – $70 |
- Old Grand-Dad Bonded and Knob Creek 12 Year do not publish an official mash bill.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
Old Grand-Dad Bonded
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Knob Creek 12 Year
Not rated yetNo notes yet.
Flavor Profile
Old Grand-Dad Bonded Knob Creek 12 Year
Axis by axis, biggest gap first
oak 5/9 oak: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 9 out of 10
spice 8/6 spice: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 8 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
nuttiness 5/7 nuttiness: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 7 out of 10
sweetness 5/6 sweetness: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 5 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 6 out of 10
fruit 4/3 fruit: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 4 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 3 out of 10
heat 6/5 heat: Old Grand-Dad Bonded 6 out of 10, Knob Creek 12 Year 5 out of 10
Flavor Profile Differences
Oak is doing most of the differentiating here.
- Old Grand-Dad Bonded: A bonded 100-proof high-rye bourbon for the price of a mixer, and one of the great bargains on the shelf. Cleaner and less overwhelming than the 114 while keeping the peppery rye backbone.
- 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.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Go with Old Grand-Dad Bonded if you want a bonded, high-rye workhorse at mixer money.
- 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.
Best enjoyed neat, old-fashioned, cocktails (Old Grand-Dad Bonded); neat, rocks (Knob Creek 12 Year).