Depending on the year, on a global scale, James B. Beam Distilling Co. sells more Kentucky bourbon than just about anyone else. So when the distillery itself highlights a once-in-a-generation superlative, it’s bound to get us reviewers all hot and bothered.
Enter Knob Creek 21, the distillery’s oldest-ever age stated whiskey — of any type. It’s a (not entirely unexpected) followup to Knob Creek 18, which has been released in annual batches each year since 2022. And it’s Beam first-ever claim to hyper-aged bourbon, ticking to and above the two-decade mark.
Barrels in this batch were aged across Beam’s campuses in Clermont, Boston, and Frankfort. Most of these were aged toward the bottom floors of their respective rickhouses. Like Knob Creek 18, this 21 year bourbon is bottled at 100 proof.
The price is almost as noteworthy as the pedigree. Knob Creek 21 comes with a $250 MSRP. That’s not chump change by any means, but perhaps less than what most other brands would charge for 20+ year old Kentucky bourbon. (Assuming they had the stock on hand.)
Let’s see how it tastes.
Early aromas scream classic Beam: roasted hazelnuts (some might say it’s more peanut-y), vanilla extract, baked red apples, cocoa dust, and buttered crumble topping. There’s also a double-whammy of tart scents, specifically unripe blackberries and a little stewed tomato; the latter is a note familiar from recent batches of Booker’s Bourbon, and here, the whiskey carries it well. Lemon zest comes through later on, lending much more citrus tartness than usual for this line.
But let’s get down to brass tax. We’re here for the oak, and in that realm, Knob Creek 21 gives plenty to sniff. Sweet wood smoke and toasted barrel staves meet a heaping helping of earthen funk, and overall, this is the closest Knob Creek has ever gotten to smelling like the inside of a Kentucky rickhouse. It’s oakier than most Knob Creek 18 (with some batch to batch variation) and more balanced than the polarizing 15 year expression — with greater intensity than both its predecessors in the lineup.
Is it over-oaked? On the nose, my vote is a resounding “no,” but individual tolerance and mileage may vary. When it comes to an oak-forward yet still noseable bouquet, Knob Creek 21 delivers. There’s no way around it: This is a great nosing bourbon.
Chocolate and mocha dominate the first sip, carried by a notably creamy mouthfeel. Indeed, some of the early palate reminds me of sweetened condensed milk, or even panna cotta. Apple strudel builds as flavors shift toward orchard fruit and a tiny hint of dried pineapple; tart blackberry carries over from the nose, but it’s comparatively muted. Meanwhile, the mocha morphs into drip coffee as Heath Bar toffee develops.
A few more sips bring lemon bars, with sweet and sour bundled together nicely. The midpalate is a little spicier, here in the form of both gingerbread and rustic rye bread. Ginger especially is a segue to the oak, heavily spiced and prominent but not as bold as one might assume. While the nose smelled quite like an old bourbon barrel, the palate doesn’t particularly taste like licking one. (A good thing!) As with Knob Creek 18, the decision to bottle this at 100 proof pays off, insofar as it avoids dialing astringency past the point of general tolerance.
Overall, we’ve got a very good palate that follows a truly fantastic nose. If I have a small critique, it’s the relatively tame midpalate. Instead of dialing up the experience, it acts like a bridge between complex early flavors and a lovely oaky finish. Here, the midpalate gets the job done, but I’m still left wondering if there was more room to soar.
The finish elevates the experience back up, not quite to the level of the nose, but getting there. Berries, lemon meringue, and oak linger. It’s composed, potent, and satisfying across a broad swath of the flavor wheel. Frankly, I wouldn’t have minded a little more ethanol heat as well.
Beam’s oldest-ever whiskey, Knob Creek 21 feels like a worthy evolution for one of bourbon’s most famous small batch products. (As much as the term “small batch” can irk me, Beam itself has a fair claim to its origination, so they get something of a pass.) If anything, pointing out areas for improvement aren’t so much criticisms as they are spotlights on what this distillate COULD do.
At 21 years old, 100 proof, and $250 MSRP, Knob Creek 21 exists at a unique intersection of age, drinkability, and even cost. Bourbon fans would be correct to pay attention.
