Review #405 - Knob Creek 7 Year Rye

Knob Creek's 7 year old Kentucky Straight Rye - this product replaced their NAS rye a couple of years ago. The age of the rye spirit likely isn't too much older than the old version, but it's always nice to have confirmation of a solid minimum age statement.

Knob Creek doesn't disclose their mashbill, but it's believed to be a low-rye or bourbon-like rye whisky - close to 51% rye grain. This kept the same bottling strength as the previous NAS version, too: 50% ABV, or 100 proof, so flavor should be in no short supply.

Knob Creek 7 Year Rye

USA - Rye

Price Paid: USD 35 (2024)

Current Locally Available Price: USD 35 (2024)

Age Statement: 7 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 2 months; bottles at 100% (blind tasting), 70% (blind tasting), 50%, and 40% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: An interesting mixture of scents: earth and wood char, floral perfume and linen, some classic Beam nutty character, and fruits: cranberry-orange bread. Vanilla and molasses add more baking notes, while little hints of banana and some dark stewed fruits add more sweetness. Oak grows stronger, and with time, we get caramel and burnt sugar.

Palate: Quite oaky, with a medium-thick mouthfeel. More dry than the nose, a little spicy, with cinnamon, rye spice, and floral notes - rose petals. There is some brown sugar and mild mint adding more sweetness, and well as a bit of wood smoke, hints of grain, and vanilla.

Finish: Wood smoke and charcoal, softer oak flavors, and some pleasant warmth. There's still cinnamon and almond cookie adding baking flavors, and just a little hint of polish in the oak; it's a medium length finish.

Final Note: Not too rye grain-forward for a rye whisky, which makes sense with that mashbill - we think this would be a great rye to convert bourbon drinkers. Plenty of oak and baking spice flavors, and the nose had some nice fruity details as well; decent complexity, decent mouthfeel, a solid rye overall.

Value is also quite good - Knob Creek is generally a good value brand, and this 7 year rye is no exception. We would be happy to recommend this around the $35 price point as a step up from the entry level ryes on the market.

Our Average Rating: 6.6 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 8.03

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.