Other distillers have done it, but Knob Creek never blended its bourbon and rye whiskeys for any of its expressions—until this summer’s launch of Bourbon X Rye, a blend of 9 year old bourbon and 7 year old rye. The final product was formulated by James B. Beam father/son master distillers Fred and Freddie Noe (Knob Creek is part of Beam) with the goal of finding the perfect bourbon-rye balance. But it isn’t a straightforward 1:1 mix of the two whiskeys, instead it plays far more heavily into its rye component, which accounts for 70% of the blend.
A precursor for Bourbon x Rye can be found in another Beam-owned whiskey, Basil Hayden’s Two by Two Rye, a bourbon/rye blend released in July 2018. But the new Knob Creek blend has two whiskeys, whereas Basil Hayden’s was a blend of four. There’s also a tighter age range for Bourbon x Rye: It’s 7–9 years old compared to Basil Hayden’s 5–13 years. In terms of similarities, Two by Two also heavily favored its rye component, which was 80% of the recipe.
While this is new terrain for Knob Creek, poly-blending has become something of a calling card for Beam master distiller Freddie Noe, who has routinely played with multiple styles of whisky in recent years. That work is best seen through Little Book, an annual release blended by Freddie. Of the eight batches known as “Chapters,” all but one has been a blend of multiple styles including corn whiskey, bourbon, rye, malted rye, malt whiskey, and Canadian among others.
The sole Little Book exception was Chapter 3 “The Road Home” which was entirely composed of bourbons from different Beam labels including Knob Creek, Basil Hayden, Booker’s, and Baker’s. Chapter 3’s recipe included Knob Creek 9 year old, which Freddie also used to make the new Bourbon X Rye blend. Little Book is a gem in Beam’s brand family: having never scored below 91 points, with most of the lineup scoring 93 points and higher.
Poly-style blends are fairly common sight elsewhere in the whiskey world, often among American blending houses who source rather than contract-distill their whiskey. High West was an early mover, with Campfire (rye, bourbon, scotch) introduced in 2006 and BouRye (bourbon and rye) arriving in 2009. Wild Turkey Forgiven, which famously began as a blending error but became a bourbon-rye blend, was released in 2013. More recent entries have been Four Gate’s Kelvin Collaboration IIII (bourbon and rye), Redwood Empire’s Lost Monarch (bourbon and rye), and 15 Stars’s new Three Kings (bourbon, rye, and wheat whiskey).
Ask any blender, and they’ll likely tell you that blending multiple styles of whisky is a high-stakes gamble. Success with one category can be elusive enough, but working with disparate flavor profiles only increases the difficulty. Just because two whiskies work flawlessly on their own doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll play well together in a blend. If both components have bold flavors, for example, they’re likely to joust with one another and create a muddled, unpleasant profile. But Freddie Noe has a proven track record when it comes to assembling multi-style blends, and this new release puts his mastery on full display.
What Does Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye Taste Like?
Our panelists, tasting blind as always, found this whiskey to be a fruity affair with lush notes of blackberry, blueberry, and other dark fruits throughout the nose and finish. The palate was generally found to be spicy, attributed to the blend’s high-rye share, which some tasters found overwhelming. Despite some disagreement, the overall consensus was positive, with particular praise given to the whiskey’s smoothness, superior texture, and well-balanced richness. Bourbon X Rye rivals some of Freddie’s previous Little Book blends and, at just a fraction of the price, represents excellent value for curious drinkers.
Knob Creek Bourbon X Rye, Reviewed
Score: 93
ABV: 56.5%
SRP: $45
Dark berries, licorice, gum drops, clementines, and vanilla pudding on the nose, with earlier hints of eucalyptus buttons and spicy oak. It’s well-spiced on the palate too, but smooth, with flavors of cherry vanilla ice cream, grape jelly, and jalapeño peppers, balanced by the oak. More fruitiness on the finish, blackberry jam and cinnamon spice. Overall it’s lush and with big fruit flavors, jammy thickness, good balance, and richness on the finish.—David Fleming
