Knob Creek does not keep a 12-year cask-strength bourbon in permanent rotation. That makes the new 2026 release notable before the proof is even considered: it is only the second 12 Year Old Cask Strength Bourbon, arriving six years after the first.

The Knob Creek 12 Year Old Cask Strength is Kentucky straight bourbon aged for at least 12 years in new charred American oak and bottled without proofing down. The 2026 batch lands at 121.2 proof, or 60.6 percent ABV, preserving the concentration that master distiller Freddie Noe found compelling enough to release as-is.

Its profile leans into mature Beam bourbon without reducing the whiskey to oak. Knob Creek describes caramel and char on the nose, followed by butterscotch, dried apple, seasoned oak, and a warm finish with subtle cinnamon. The extra three years over the brand’s core nine-year bourbon deepen the barrel influence while keeping the familiar sweet-spice structure intact.

That puts the release in the lineage of older high-proof expressions such as the Knob Creek 25th Anniversary Bourbon, but without tying it to a fixed annual cadence. Knob Creek prices the limited 750ml release at $90. Distribution is beginning nationally for the 2026 holiday season, and the brand has not disclosed the total allocation.