Date & Time: Friday, October 4th, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
Location: The Kentucky History Center, 100 West Broadway St., Frankfort, KY 40601

By Rebecca Herman McBrayer

As part of our Frankfort, KY Bourbon on the Banks weekend, we attended the Secrets to Bourbon Food Pairing with Peggy Noe Stevens & John Medley. We had a big morning of travel from Indiana with our friends, Hap & Judy Aziz, as well as an insightful grounds walk tour at Glenn’s Creek Distilling – home of the historic Old Crow Distillery. We made it to the event just in time and friends had saved us seats right up front – Thank you Lisa & Phil!

Event Description: The Secrets to Bourbon Food Pairing – Bourbon Hall of Fame and Master Taster, Peggy Noe Stevens and John Medley, the Research and Development Director at Buffalo Trace Distillery take you on a sensory journey with food pairings from Limewater Bistro and our favorite expressions from Buffalo Trace Distillery.
-History and Tasting of three premium Bourbons
– Bourbon Benchmarking: Understanding three Different Styles
– Food and Bourbon pairing and palate training

What We Learned About Pairings

Peggy shared her approach and teaching tool for bourbon pairings called The Flavor Trio. She referred to this technique a balance, counterbalance, and explosion.

• Balance: When the flavors of a bourbon MATCH the flavor of a food.
• Counterbalance: When a completely OPPOSITE food flavor highlights certain bourbon flavor profiles.
• Explosion: When a predominant bourbon flavor is matched with a predominant flavor in a food – this causes a flavor explosion.

With this in mind, you should select your bourbon first and get to know its flavor profile. Next, you would select foods to balance, counterbalance, and explode those flavors. This (and much more) is detailed in the book: “WHICH FORK DO I USED WITH MY BOURBON? Setting the Table for Tastings, Food Pairings, Dinners, and Cocktail Parties.” Peggy Noe Stevens & Susan Reigler. Available on Amazon.

Pairing 1: Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace: Caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, and honey with notes of summer fruits and hints of leather and oak.

Balance: Paired with Peach Salad with Molasses Vinaigrette, Fresh Tarragon, and Honey Brown Bread Crouton.

The molasses vinaigrette balanced with the brown sugar; the notes of honey were present in the honey brown bread crouton; and the peach highlighted the bourbon flavors of summer fruits. This combination was truly delightful!

Pairing 2: Weller 12-Year-Old

Weller 12: Vanilla, orange peel, creamed corn, honeysuckle, and baking spices.

Counterbalance: Paired with Slow-Cooked Brisket with Crispy Gouda Grit Cake, Spicy BBQ, and Green Onion.

While the grit cake complimented the creamed corn from the Weller, the spicy BBQ sauce was the perfect counterbalance to the overall sweetness profile of the bourbon.

Pairing 3: Stagg Jr.

Stagg Jr.: Pipe tobacco, caramel, vanilla, baking spices, dates, with hints of clove and cocoa.

Explosion: Paired with Date and Chocolate Cake with Fresh Blackberry.

Wow! Explosion is a great description for how this tastes together. Amazing!

About our Hosts

Peggy Noe Stevens: As the world’s first female master bourbon taster and founder of the Bourbon Women Association, Peggy is uniquely qualified to educate the audience about Kentucky’s native spirit. Whether you are new to bourbon, or a seasoned enthusiast, she will present an entertaining overview of Bourbon’s flavor influencers during the production process and how to taste like a pro. A customized food and Bourbon pairing will delight your senses and teach you why the many different “styles” of our amber elixir make Bourbon a signature industry for Kentucky.

John Medley: As the Research & Development Director at Buffalo Trace Distillery, John Medley is responsible for providing technical leadership for Sazerac products and implementing improvements in manufacturing processes. Under John’s helm, the new product development team creates successful brands enjoyed by fans all over the world.

The perfectly prepared food pairings were created by Limewater Bistro.

The pairings were both delightful and educational. This was a fantastic experience. If you have an opportunity to attend a similar event, we highly recommend it. If you are unable to do so, Peggy & Susan’s book is fantastic!

Embracing the Craft!
Rebecca & Wayne