CleverRoot

3 2 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t N ot to knock traditional wine and food pairings, but sometimes it's nice to spice things up with some- thing a little more unusual (and fun!). Last September, The Clever Root invited bartenders from all over Los Angeles to join us downtown for a whiskey flight tasting matched with donuts from local favorites Birdie's and DK's Donuts. Led by Megan Breier, West Coast Ameri- can Whiskey Ambassador for Beam Suntory (which owns the Knob Creek label), the tasting featured five Knob Creek whiskeys— Knob Creek 2001 Limited Edition, Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Knob Creek Rye Whiskey, Knob Creek Single Bar- rel Reserve, and the Knob Creek 25th Anni- versary Bourbon—paired with tasty pastries like a maple glazed donut, a regular glazed donut, a cheesy cronut, a Captain Crunch donut, and frosted bacon red velvet donuts, respectively. "I started doing pairings like this in Kentucky, my home state," explained Breier. "I started with 'Oink and Barrel'— ham and bourbon pairings—and that led to donuts and bourbon pairings. When I moved to San Francisco, I brought the event with me. As a Southerner, I still have that South- ern hospitality, which means I always want to be feeding people!" & AGED Glazed PAIRINGS KNOB CREEK BOURBON FINDS AN UNCONVENTIONAL PAIRING IN DONUTS by Jesse Hom-Dawson / photos by Cal Bingham Attendees tasted through a range of Knob Creek products, each paired with a different type of donut, during a recent whiskey flight tasting in Los Angeles.

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