If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.

The James B. Beam Distilling Co. may have shut one of its main distilleries down for the year due to the slowdown in the whiskey market, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some exciting new releases coming out. On the contrary, the home of Jim Beam has been pretty busy as of late, and the latest example is the new Knob Creek Blender’s Edition, a bourbon that is meant to highlight how important the art of blending is in American whiskey production.

Knob Creek is a core member of the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection, which also includes Booker’s, Basil Hayden, and Baker’s. The Knob Creek lineup is made up of bourbons with age statements ranging from 9 years old all the way up to 21, while the rye whiskey had a seven-year age statement added to it a few years ago. Most of the whiskey is bottled at 100 proof, although there are also some single-barrel and cask-strength expressions that are much stronger than that. The new Blender’s Edition 01 is a 10-year-old bourbon that is bottled at 106 proof, and according to the brand the barrels for this release were specifically selected to highlight the sweeter side of the Knob Creek flavor profile.

Could this be an attempt to draw in new drinkers with something sweeter and perhaps more palatable to newbies as the whiskey market softens? Diageo seemed to be thinking about that with the launch of Johnnie Walker Black Cask, a blended whisky that is supposed to appeal to bourbon drinkers. According to the brand, this Knob Creek release is the first in a new series spearheaded by eighth-generation master distiller Freddie Noe and his blending team. “The Blender’s Edition series is about slowing down and discovering the story each blend tells—with a unique and new experience in each edition of the series,” said Noe in a statement. “It is thanks to the passion and precision of our blending team who have uncovered the nuanced flavors you taste in Knob Creek Blender’s Edition 01.”

We got an early sample of this new bourbon, and it does indeed lean into sweeter notes, but it also does not go overboard with flavors like maple, vanilla, orange, cherry, and honey. And that higher 106 proof adds a bit of spice and heat that work well to balance these out. The question is how this series will proceed into the future—will each new release explore a different side of the Knob Creek flavor spectrum, or will it devolve into a semi-randomness like the Hardin’s Creek brand? According to a rep for the brand, it will be the former, but we will let you know when we find out more about future Blender’s Edition releases. In the meantime, the first edition is available now (SRP $45) at retailers around the country and at websites like Total Wine.