Knob Creek Bourbon Whiskey is carefully crafted in limited quantities and perfectly aged to give you the full flavour of bourbon that existed before prohibition. Knob Creek Bourbon Original, Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon and Knob Creek Rye have all received the highest Double Gold honours at the San Francisco Spirits Competition. As soon as Knob Creek Rye was named "Best Rye" and was then named "Best New Whiskey of 2012” by Esquire Magazine. Knob Creek is now officially the World’s Most Awarded Bourbon. Knob Creek is part of the Original Small Batch Bourbon Collection that coined the term "Small Batch". Since then, Knob Creek has become widely renowned for its big, full flavour (100 proof) and continues the tradition with new bourbons that follow the same tradition, including the newly introduced Knob Creek Smoked Maple. Knob Creek Bourbon is aged for 9 years, longer than any other small batch bourbon. New American white oak barrels are charred over an open fire for a level 4 char — the deepest char possible. It's this intense charring and longer ageing that brings out our big, bold flavour reminiscent of pre-prohibition quality. Barrels are stored in 9-story rack houses for ageing. The barrel placement is one of the most important aspects of the ageing process. The top racks are warmer/drier so the barrels experience more evaporation, thus creating a higher proof (near 145) with more compact flavor. The bottom is a cooler, damper area, so the barrels will actually take in moisture resulting in a lower proof (110-125) and a softer bite. The middle is what Booker Noe called "The Centre Cut" and is the most unchanging. For the original Knob Creek bourbon we blend a small batch of barrels from fixed locations to create a consistent flavour time after time. The temperature in the rack-house cycles with the seasons, which allows the bourbon to breathe in and out of the charred barrel. Each natural cycle in and out of the wood adds the rich amber colour and the distinctive flavours that go into each small batch.