Knob Creek Small Batch Limited Edition 21 Year Old Straight Bourbon Whiskey 100 proof

After a couple of years of Knob Creek 18 Year releases, Beam is finally pushing its age statement upward. This might have to do with the annual high-aged Elijah Craig releases that continually go unchecked in the market, or Jack Daniel’s looking to continue to push their whiskeys’ age statements upward. Or as Beam’s master distiller Freddie Noe puts it, “When we first laid this batch to rest, we weren't chasing any specific age statement - we were focused on crafting a great bourbon, just like we always do. After I tasted the whiskey, I knew we had something special.”

The bourbon is full of sweet and savory flavors along with a creamy mouthfeel. Mainly, the palate brings a lot of the sweet flavors of sweet tobacco, dark brown sugar, chocolate, and raisin, with a savory finish of musty oak, allspice, dark tobacco, roasted peanuts, and gentle oak tannins. It’s this two-sided attack that keeps the bourbon balanced and oak largely in check.

Knob Creek 21 Year is the company’s oldest age stated bourbon to date. Though this year’s Little Book Infinite II features 22 year old bourbon in its blend, it’s only a percentage of it. Given how flavorful the 21 Year’s flavor profile is for its age and price, many will thoroughly enjoy what it offers. Oak is still king, but thanks to more sweet flavors and a drawback of prominent oak and its resulting dryness, Knob Creek 21 Year Old Bourbon is trending in the right direction all around.