Knob Creek 2015 Belmont Stakes 9 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon 750ml 100 Proof

Knob Creek Small Batch aged nine years and bottled at 100 proof, under the commemorative label produced for the 2015 Belmont Stakes.

The label is the reason this bottle survives as a collectible: a jockey silhouette on a blue diamond pattern, with "Commemorating the 2015 Belmont Stakes" across the front — a one-year design that was never repeated. Underneath it is standard-era Knob Creek, which at the time still carried a nine-year age statement and the brand's signature 100 proof.

The 2015 Belmont turned out to be one of the more consequential runnings in the race's history: American Pharoah won it and took the Triple Crown, the first horse to do so since 1978. The bottle was produced ahead of the race rather than to mark the result, but the coincidence is a large part of why this particular commemorative is sought out by racing and bourbon collectors alike.

Knob Creek dropped the nine-year age statement from its standard bottling not long after, which makes any bottle carrying it a marker of a specific period.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Toasted oak, vanilla, caramel, roasted nuts and warm baking spice.
• Palate: Full-bodied — rich caramel, vanilla, charred oak, cinnamon and subtle dark fruit.
• Finish: Long and warming, with lingering oak, caramelized sugar and spice.

Specs

• Brand: Knob Creek
• Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Edition: 2015 Belmont Stakes commemorative
• Style: Small batch
• Age: 9 years
• Proof: 100 (50% ABV)
• Release year: 2015
• Size: 750ml

Explore the full Knob Creek collection or browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the whiskey different from regular Knob Creek? No — it's Knob Creek Small Batch at nine years and 100 proof, the standard specification at the time. The commemorative element is the label, which was produced for the 2015 Belmont Stakes and used for that year only.
• Does this bottle commemorate American Pharoah's Triple Crown? Not directly. It was made for the 2015 Belmont Stakes and released ahead of the race, before the result was known. American Pharoah then won and completed the Triple Crown, which is why the release carries more weight now than the design itself would suggest.
• Why does the nine-year age statement matter? Knob Creek's standard bottling carried nine years for most of its history and later dropped it. A bottle still showing the statement identifies whiskey from that earlier period, which is part of why commemorative releases from these years get held rather than opened.