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s u m m e r 2 0 1 7 | 6 3 Breier explained the importance of keeping the individual ingredient characteristics of the mash bill in the final product: "When talking about standards of identity, I mentioned that we can distill up to 160 proof, but at both Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, we have the opportunity to distill lower, meaning that we are going to keep as much flavor from these mash bill as we can." Working with San Francisco chef Thomas Kalb and industry-leading barman Erik Adkins, Breier notes that the goal for the day was to collaborate to "create some really unique pairings that would accentuate the actual flavors in each whiskey that are brought about thanks to the mash bill." She explained that re- garding flavor profiles, corn lends "a little nuttiness," wheat is for sweetness and balance, rye for spice and a touch of anise/licorice, while malted barley gives that "doughy," bread-like quality. For their part, Kalb and Adkins brought inventive- ness to the development of the morning's menu and pairings. "The menu definitely evolved," explains Kalb. "We realized that the sky's the limit with this, that we could highlight the little nuances that weren't exactly explained or people may not have gotten, and that helped us to push the envelope to make each dish really pair well with the core main grains that are used in each whiskey. The barley salad is the most obvious linked pairing, but the corn cakes, the whole-wheat crackers, griddlecakes and whole-wheat scones are all intermingled with corn, whole wheat and barley, and all are present in each whiskey. Even the panade I used to emulsify the terrine was tailored for the pairing. I supplemented a recipe I have that calls for sourdough bread and I used dehydrated corn bread, the same corn bread that was in the polenta cakes, for the pastry bar." Adkins added, "We talk about mash bills a lot. In fact, when we describe to people the difference between bourbon and rye whiskey, we explain that it is much like the difference between corn bread and rye bread, but I never thought about how you could actually pair a whole meal with the mash bills. It makes a ton of sense and it really works. It was a lot of fun to see how each grain could pull out the same flavors of the distilled spirits. It is fun to actually have these grains present so it's not just an abstract idea; you can jump into some concrete flavor pairings." As the tasting wound down, Breier raised a glass to remind us that, at the end of the day, what is in the glass and on our plates is all about the pleasure of the experience. "It's all about enjoyment," smiled Breier, "and getting you to think about these spirits in a different way so that you can then pass that experience on to your guests." A PEEK INTO THE PAIRINGS AND MASH BILLS FOR EACH COURSE MORNING MASH RUNDOWN Chef de Cuisine Thomas Kalb. Charcuterie Board: IPA mustard, country paté, pick- les, whole grain crackers, salt and vinegar corn nuts Paired with: Maker's 46 ® Style and grains used: Wheated Bourbon mash bill finished with French oak wa- fers; corn, wheat, malted barley Pastry Bar: Whole-wheat chocolate chip cookies, polenta cake with oat streusel and bour- bon cherry glaze, whole grain rye toast with lemon ricotta and orange marmalade Paired with: Knob Creek ® Rye Style and grains used: Rye whiskey mash bill; rye, corn, malted barley Barley Salad: Pickled beets, dried cranberries, braised collard greens, rosemary rye crouton, shaved grana padano, poached egg Paired with: Basil Hayden's ® Style and Grains used: High rye bourbon mash bill; corn, rye, malted barley Griddle Cakes and Duck Hash: Duck confit, hash browns, jalapeño salsa, poached egg Paired with: Jim Beam Black ® Style and grains used: Traditional style bourbon mash bill corn, rye, malted barley ■cr Jim Beam Black® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 43% Alc./Vol. ©2017 James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont, KY Maker's Mark® Bourbon Whisky, 45% Alc./Vol. ©2017 Maker's Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY Knob Creek® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 50% Alc./Vol. ©2017 Knob Creek Distillery, Clermont, KY. Basil Hayden's® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, 40% Alc./Vol. ©2017 Kentucky Springs Distilling Co., Clermont, KY.

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