BACKGROUND: Knob Creek first hit the market in 1992 when Jim Beam Master Distiller Booker Noe wanted to produce a premium, small batch bourbon that was similar to pre-Prohibition standards. Today, it stands alongside Booker’s, Baker’s, and Basil Hayden as part of Jim Beam’s premium collection. When Beam experienced a shortage of fully-aged bourbon in 2015 - 2016, the company removed the traditional nine year age statement from Knob Creek bottles. After increasing production and allowing existing stocks to mature, Beam re-entered the age statement market with this 12 year expression. The nine year age statement recently returned to bottles of the basic Knob Creek offering, as well. Knob Creek is named for an actual creek that runs through the site of the boyhood farm upon which President Abraham Lincoln was raised. Throughout adulthood, Lincoln referred to his boyhood home as “the Knob Creek place” to discern it from the nearby farm upon which he was born. It is believed that Lincoln’s father, Thomas, worked as a seasonal hand at a local distillery, and the future president, himself, sold bourbon in a general store that he owned and operated in New Salem, Illinois with business partner William Berry. Knob Creek 12 Year is made from a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley, and it retails for $60 a bottle. NOSE: The nose is full of the traditional Beam funk, which I love and enjoy, along with earthy tobacco, oak, peanut shells, and undertones of caramel toffee. PALATE: The palate contains orange citrus, oak, molasses, and a unique and muted sweetness that immediately brings dark rum to mind. The bourbon itself is viscous and syrupy and takes its time getting from point A to point B. FINISH: The orange citrus on the palate transitions into more of a grapefruit flavor on the finish, and it is joined by a burst of cinnamon. Heavy oak tannins linger in the back of the throat. The finish is a long one with just a touch of warmth that seems to last forever. FINAL ASSESSMENT: I will preface this assessment by acknowledging that I am a sucker for Jim Beam’s high-end, premium offerings and also its more limited products like Bonded, Distiller’s Cut, and Double Oak, so Knob Creek 12 Year should settle right into my wheelhouse. On the other hand, I have been privy to purchasing several Knob Creek store picks that are 120 proof, carry a 15 year age statement, and cost about $40. In other words, I can easily purchase higher-proofed, longer-aged Knob Creeks for about $20 less per 750ml. At the same time, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is aged for the same length as this Knob Creek, is proofed almost 40 points higher, and comes in at the same price point. It is also a much superior bourbon, and the C919 batch earned one of my highest ratings. The Knob Creek 12 Year is a perfectly average, plain-jane bourbon - not bad, but also not fantastic. Given the similar - and often better - options available at the same price or lower, I would likely opt for one of those next time.