Knob Creek (bourbon)
Encyclopedia
Knob Creek is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
produced by Beam Inc.
at the Jim Beam
distillery in Clermont, Kentucky
. It is one of the four Jim Beam small batch
bourbon brands targeted for the high-end liquor market. Its siblings in the line are Booker's
, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's
.
The primary expression of the brand is bottled at 100 proof (higher than the typical 80 that is the minimum required by U.S. Federal labeling requirements) and aged for nine years (which is longer than many Bourbon brands and is longer than the other Jim Beam Small Batch brands). It comes in a rectangular bottle with a corked and wax-sealed top.
The bourbon itself has a dark, golden-brown color.
According to the company, this is due to the relatively long aging process, which allows it to absorb more sugar from the wood than is the case for the other Jim Beam Small Batch brands. The company describes the flavor as "rich, sweet, woody, full-bodied, almost fruity", and the aroma as "toasted nuts, grain, oak".
In 2009, Beam ran a campaign to publicize their shortage of Knob Creek bourbon. Demand exceeded the 2000 forecast, when the stock began the aging process.
In 2010, a 120 proof single barrel brand variation was introduced, called Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve.
organizations. The San Francisco World Spirits Competitions, for example, gave it one double gold, two golds, one silver, and one bronze medal between 2005 and 2009. Wine Enthusiast Magazine
scored Knob Creek in its 90-95 point interval in 2005. The Beverage Testing Institute
rated it twice, giving it 90 points on one occasion and 91 points on another. Consistent with its performance with the other rating bodies, the scores of 90 and 91 were good, though not extraordinary.
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
produced by Beam Inc.
Beam Inc.
Beam Inc. is a spirits company established on October 4, 2011 from the remainder of the Fortune Brands holding company after it sold and spun off various other product lines to form a business focused exclusively on spirits and directly related products...
at the Jim Beam
Jim Beam
Jim Beam is a brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky. It is currently one of the best selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 , seven generations of the Beam family have been involved in whiskey production for the company that produces the brand, which was given the name...
distillery in Clermont, Kentucky
Clermont, Kentucky
Clermont is a USGS-designated populated place in Bullitt County, Kentucky, United States, south of Louisville.-History:The area was officially recognized by the USGS on September 20, 1979, during the rapid expansion of Shepherdsville due to the development of Interstate 65. A large portion of...
. It is one of the four Jim Beam small batch
Small batch
Small batch whiskey is a term usually referring to bourbon or rye whiskey, and denotes a whiskey produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of selected barrels....
bourbon brands targeted for the high-end liquor market. Its siblings in the line are Booker's
Booker's
Booker’s bourbon is one of the small batch bourbons produced by the Jim Beam distillery, which is owned by Beam Inc.. Having the highest alcohol content of the brands in the Jim Beam “Small Batch Bourbon Collection”, it is a cask strength bourbon. It was personally selected from barrels by Jim...
, Baker's, and Basil Hayden's
Basil Hayden's
Basil Hayden's is the lightest bodied bourbon whiskey in the family of Jim Beam small batch bourbons produced by Beam Inc.. It is 80 proof, in contrast with its three sibling brands of higher alcohol concentration ....
.
The primary expression of the brand is bottled at 100 proof (higher than the typical 80 that is the minimum required by U.S. Federal labeling requirements) and aged for nine years (which is longer than many Bourbon brands and is longer than the other Jim Beam Small Batch brands). It comes in a rectangular bottle with a corked and wax-sealed top.
The bourbon itself has a dark, golden-brown color.
According to the company, this is due to the relatively long aging process, which allows it to absorb more sugar from the wood than is the case for the other Jim Beam Small Batch brands. The company describes the flavor as "rich, sweet, woody, full-bodied, almost fruity", and the aroma as "toasted nuts, grain, oak".
In 2009, Beam ran a campaign to publicize their shortage of Knob Creek bourbon. Demand exceeded the 2000 forecast, when the stock began the aging process.
In 2010, a 120 proof single barrel brand variation was introduced, called Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve.
Reviews
Knob Creek bourbon has won a number of accolades from Spirit ratingsSpirit ratings
With a growing number of microdistilleries and an expanding number of offerings from large corporate entities, a number of institutions have arisen to provide professional evaluations of individual spirits...
organizations. The San Francisco World Spirits Competitions, for example, gave it one double gold, two golds, one silver, and one bronze medal between 2005 and 2009. Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Wine Enthusiast Magazine is a lifestyle magazine covering wine, food, spirits, travel and entertaining topics. It was founded in 1988 by Adam and Sybil Strum and reaches 680,000 readers. Its wine ratings, conducted by reviewers in major wine-producing areas of the world, comprise a large section of...
scored Knob Creek in its 90-95 point interval in 2005. The Beverage Testing Institute
Beverage Testing Institute
The Beverage Testing Institute is a marketing service company that provides reviews for spirits, wines, and beers. It uses numerical scores and publishes books of its test results.-Reviews:...
rated it twice, giving it 90 points on one occasion and 91 points on another. Consistent with its performance with the other rating bodies, the scores of 90 and 91 were good, though not extraordinary.
Popular culture
- Knob Creek is the bourbon of choice for Stone Barrington, the main character in a line of mystery novels by Stuart WoodsStuart Woods-Early life:Stuart Woods was born in Manchester, Georgia and graduated in 1959 from the University of Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. After graduation he enrolled in the Air National Guard, spending two months in basic training before moving to New York, where he began a career in...
. Many of his characters begin drinking it regularly following Stone's recommendation, and Stone regularly mentions that Knob Creek was the birthplace of Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
- Knob Creek is also the preferred bourbon of the character Mother's Milk in the ongoing comic book series The Boys (comics) by Garth Ennis.
- Knob Creek is also mentioned in the Lee ChildLee ChildJim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
novel of 2010 titled "Worth Dying For" (chapter 33) as being drunk by the Duncan family, along with the Wild TurkeyWild Turkey (bourbon)Wild Turkey is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled and bottled by the Austin, Nichols division of Campari Group. Its nicknames include "The Dirty Bird", "Gobble Gobble", "Bombed Tom", "Thunder Chicken", "Boat Gas", "Whiskey Tango", "The Screamin' Eagle", and "The Kickin’...
brand.
- Knob Creek Is also mentioned in the John GrishamJohn GrishamJohn Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
novel of 2010 titled " The Confession" (chapter 37) as being drunk by Gil Newton Texas Governor.
- The Nostalgia CriticThe Nostalgia CriticThe Nostalgia Critic is a web television series starring Doug Walker as the eponymous reviewer. The series was initially launched on YouTube before moving to an independent site, That Guy with the Glasses, run by production company Channel Awesome...
drinks several shots of Knob Creek during his review of the film ItIt (1990 film)It is a 1990 horror television miniseries based on the novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form that is simply referred to as "It", which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears allowing it to exploit the fears and phobias...
, playing what he calls "The Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
Drinking Game."
- Knob Creek is referenced in the song GodLovesUglyGodLovesUgly"GodLovesUgly" is a single by Atmosphere, released on November 19, 2002, via 12" vinyl.The album, God Loves Ugly, was preceded by Atmospheres's second album, Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs. This album was released in 2001 and was also the only albums by Slug and Ant with external production...
by the rap group Atmosphere.