Knob Creek has always been one of those bourbon lines that feels like a safe bet. It’s not flashy. It’s not trying to reinvent bourbon. It’s just big, bold, oaky Beam bourbon with enough age and proof to remind you why the brand has been a staple for so long.
So when I saw Knob Creek Blender’s Edition No. 1, I had to grab a bottle.
Edition No. 1 is a 10-year “sweet bourbon blend,” which sounded like a perfect excuse for a blind Knob Creek comparison. I wanted to see how it would stack up against the other two Knob Creeks currently on my shelf: the standard 9-Year and a cask strength single barrel store pick. Both of those are nine-year bourbons.
I poured three glasses:
- Knob Creek 9-Year — 100 proof
- Knob Creek Blender’s Edition No. 1 — 106 proof
- Knob Creek Cask Strength Single Barrel store pick — 125 proof
I poured them into identical glasses, mixed them up and tasted them blind. This time, I also avoided paying attention to color until after the tasting because I suspected that might give too much away.
Of course, proof was probably going to be a pretty big clue anyway.
I’m blind, not oblivious.
Glass #1
Nose: Beam bourbons have that trademark “Beam peanut,” and this one definitely has it. I’m also getting some buttery caramel and maybe a hint of apple or pear.
Palate and mouthfeel: For the minimum age statement, this feels a little thin. The peanut remains at the front along with some candied pears and caramel.
Finish: The thin feeling carries into the finish, which doesn’t last as long as I’d like. The flavors are nice — caramel and brown sugar — but they disappear pretty quickly.
Color: Light copper.
Reveal: Knob Creek 9-Year, 100 proof.
This is still a good bourbon, and I don’t want the comparison to make it sound worse than it is. Knob Creek 9-Year remains a dependable bottle. But in this lineup, it clearly felt like the lightest pour. The flavor was there, but the body and finish didn’t quite keep up with the other two.
Glass #2
Nose: The peanut moves to the rear and the buttery toffee moves forward along with some brown sugar.
Palate and mouthfeel: This one feels drier with some toasted oak, buttery caramel and hints of peanut and vanilla. The mouthfeel is richer.
Finish: The finish lingers nicely with brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon and butterscotch.
Color: Light copper.
Reveal: Knob Creek Blender’s Edition No. 1, 106 proof.
This did exactly what I hoped it would do. It still tasted like Knob Creek, but it leaned into the sweeter side without becoming soft or gimmicky. The oak was still present. The Beam character was still there. But the caramel, brown sugar, vanilla and butterscotch notes gave it a rounder, richer feel than the standard 9-Year.
That’s probably the best compliment I can give it: this doesn’t taste like Knob Creek trying to become something else. It tastes like Knob Creek with a little more polish.
Glass #3
Nose: All of the notes from Glass #2 are duplicated here, but in greater measure. I’m also picking up some nutmeg.
Palate and mouthfeel: The oak is here, too, but it’s more muted, and there’s some rich brown sugar, cherries and buttery toffee.
Finish: Spice from the rye hangs on the tongue, so cinnamon leads the exit, along with brown sugar, cherries and toffee.
Color: Mid-copper.
Reveal: Knob Creek Cask Strength Single Barrel store pick, 125 proof.
This one was the easiest to identify, and that’s not an insult. The proof gave it away, but so did the depth. Everything from Glass #2 seemed amplified here. More brown sugar. More cherry. More spice. More finish. More mouthfeel.
There’s a reason Knob Creek single barrel picks have such a strong following. When they hit, they hit hard.
Score and Order
1. Glass #3 — Knob Creek Cask Strength Single Barrel store pick, 125 proof: 84.40
The winner of the tasting. The higher proof brings more depth, more spice, more finish and more complexity. The brown sugar, cherry, cinnamon and toffee notes make this one the most complete pour of the three.
2. Glass #2 — Knob Creek Blender’s Edition No. 1, 106 proof: 82.24
A strong second-place finish, and maybe the most interesting bottle in the tasting. It lands just a half-step behind the cask strength single barrel, but at about $44, it punches above its price. The sweeter profile works exactly as advertised without losing the familiar Knob Creek backbone.
3. Glass #1 — Knob Creek 9-Year, 100 proof: 75.19
Clearly the lightest of the three, especially in mouthfeel and finish. But that doesn’t make it a bad bottle. At $25 to $30, Knob Creek 9-Year remains a Bourbon Cheapskate must-have. It’s dependable, affordable and still delivers the classic Beam/Knob Creek profile.
Final Thoughts
This tasting mostly confirmed what I suspected: with Knob Creek, proof brings power.
But value matters, too.
The cask strength single barrel won the day, and even at around $60, it belongs on the shelf. It had the richest mouthfeel, the longest finish and the most complete flavor profile of the three. If you find a good Knob Creek store pick, don’t overthink it.
Buy the pick.
But the surprise story here is the Blender’s Edition No. 1. At about $44, it finished just a half-step behind the cask strength bottle, and that makes it a big winner. It brought the sweeter notes promised on the label — brown sugar, buttery toffee, caramel and butterscotch — while still tasting unmistakably like Knob Creek. It didn’t beat the single barrel, but it came closer than the price gap might suggest.
And then there’s the standard Knob Creek 9-Year. It finished third, and in this lineup, it was clearly thinner and shorter on the finish. But context matters. At $25 to $30, this is still one of the best dependable shelf bottles in bourbon. It may not win a blind tasting against higher-proof Knob Creek bottles, but it absolutely earns its place as a Bourbon Cheapskate must-have.
So, the final verdict is simple:
The cask strength single barrel is the best bottle.
The Blender’s Edition No. 1 may be the best value.
The 9-Year remains one of the best everyday bourbon buys on the shelf.
Knob Creek went three-for-three.
Some bottles just hit harder than others.
