Bourbon and rye: picks
Knob Creek Rye Whiskey is a smooth, very satisfying rye. It has a gold-amber hue and notes of spice and herbs, plus a hint of vanilla. At 100 proof, or 50 percent alcohol, you're imbibing a warm spirit with considerable personality. Credit: Handout
It's never too early to get ready for the Fourth of July. Knob Creek can provide the fireworks.
Knob Creek is known for bourbon, one of the highlights of Jim Beam's repertoire. Now, there's rye too. Rye was the big brown spirit here pre-Prohibition.
There has been a little rye revival in the past few years, and Knob Creek Rye Whiskey contributes to it with style and substance.
Knob Creek's is a smooth, very satisfying rye. It has a gold-amber hue and notes of spice and herbs, plus a hint of vanilla. At 100 proof, or 50 percent alcohol, you're imbibing a warm spirit with considerable personality.
Add 1/2 ounce of sweet vermouth and a dash or two of bitters to 2 ounces of rye for a first-class Manhattan. Stir two ounces of rye with bitters, and a sugar cube, and finish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry: an excellent Old Fashioned.
Knob Creek Rye Whiskey also is a fine sipper. A bottle is about $40.
If you want to stick with bourbon, Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey kicks in at 120 proof, and has been aged nine years. Have it neat. A bottle: about $40.
For a chaser, dip into “The Northern California Craft Beer Guide” (Cameron+Company, $21.95), by Ken Weaver, with photos by Anneliese Schmidt. Lively and informative, with a foreword by Ken Grossman, founder-owner of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
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