Source: DBC Public Relations Experts

Knob Creek(R) Bourbon Reignites Partnership With Celebrity Chef and Grilling Expert Michael Symon

Chef Symon Brings Award Winning Flavors to the Grill for Bourbon Fans Across America

CLERMONT, KY--(Marketwired - Jun 6, 2013) - Knob Creek® Bourbon and Celebrity Chef Michael Symon are teaming up for another year of flavor-packed programming, highlighting Knob Creek® Bourbon's award-winning portfolio just in time for summer grilling season. Through this partnership, Chef Symon will prove once again that the big, full flavor of Knob Creek® Bourbon translates just as perfectly on the grill as it does in the glass.

Building off of last year's sizzling partnership -- in which Chef Symon helped launch Knob Creek® Rye and released a limited edition holiday label -- Knob Creek® Bourbon is turning up the heat with an even bigger, fuller partnership to bring bourbon enthusiasts an exclusive look at how grill masters and distillers push the boundaries creating big, full flavor.

"Knob Creek® Bourbon is more than just a bourbon that tastes damn great in your glass," said Chef Symon. "It also adds big flavor to your summer grilling. I'm thrilled to continue my partnership with Knob Creek and introduce bourbon lovers to new ways to enjoy the #1 selling Super-Premium Bourbon -- both in their glass and on the grill."

This year, Knob Creek® Bourbon and Chef Symon are offering a full menu of programming, including:

  • The "Big Flavor" Dinner Series. A 13-city dinner series providing select fans and members of Knob Creek's "Original Brothers of Bourbon" with a unique nose-to-tail dining and tasting experience highlighting dishes and cocktails created by the country's best chefs. Chef Symon will host these dinners in select markets.
  • National Summer Sweepstakes. Fans will have the chance to win a one-of-a-kind Kentucky experience, featuring a trip to Knob Creek's distillery at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse where the winner will enjoy a private tour with Master Distiller Fred Noe and a personal summer grill-out session with Chef Symon at the "Knob Creek House."
  • "Meat Master Class" Series. Chef Symon will star in an online video series educating fans on the art of grilling with flavor. From "prep to plate" Chef Symon will offer tips on everything from meat selection to grill preparation, cooking, plating, pairing and pouring -- and he'll share his favorite recipes for simple, flavorful, easy-to-grill options. If you're hosting a summer BBQ, these videos will raise your grilling skills to the next level.
  • Knob Creek® Inspired Recipes. Exclusive Knob Creek® seasonal food and cocktail recipes created by Chef Symon will provide consumers with big, full-flavored dishes they can savor year round.

"For more than 20 years now, Knob Creek has been the perfect bourbon to enjoy while you're behind the grill," said Fred Noe, seventh-generation Beam Master Distiller. "Chef Symon is the perfect grilling expert to teach our fans how to excel on the grill using full flavors. We're excited to take this partnership up a notch, and we're thrilled to have Chef Symon as part of the Knob Creek family."

As summer BBQs start firing up, Chef Symon recommends these flavorful grilling and cocktail recipes:

Knob Creek® Summer Spice
Created by Michael Symon

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 Parts Knob Creek® Rye Whiskey
1/2 Part Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 Part Orange Liqueur
1/4 Part White Crème De Cocoa

METHOD
1. Pour all ingredients into a shaker
2. Shake vigorously with ice and strain into cocktail glass
3. Garnish with lime wheel

Knob Creek® Bourbon Smokey, Salty & Spicy Grilled Chicken Thighs
Created by Michael Symon
Recipe Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
8 Chicken Thighs (Bone-In and Skin-On)
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 oz. Soy Sauce
2 oz. Honey
4 Tablespoons Sriracha
4 oz. Knob Creek® Bourbon
2 oz. Olive Oil
2 Limes Cut into Wedges For Garnish
1 Bunch Cilantro For Garnish

PREPARATION
1. Whisk together Mustard, Soy Sauce, Honey, Knob Creek® Bourbon, Sriracha and Olive Oil
2. Place chicken thighs in a zip lock bag and pour in marinade. Give it a good shake and let marinate for one to two hours
3. Place on grill and cook until you reach 160 degrees internal temperature
4. Remove from grill and garnish plate with lime wedges and cilantro

Knob Creek® enthusiasts will have access to Chef Symon through the Original Brothers of Bourbon, which provides exclusive content and news straight from Knob Creek®, its ambassadors and its distillery. Visit KnobCreek.com/Brothers-Of-Bourbon to join. For more information about Knob Creek®, visit www.KnobCreek.com or www.facebook.com/KnobCreek

About Michael Symon
Michael Symon is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, television personality and author who cooks with soul, creating bold, deeply satisfying dishes at his various restaurants across America. The Cleveland native shares his exuberant, approachable cooking style and infectious laugh with television viewers as an Iron Chef on the Food Network, ABC's The Chew and the Cooking Channel's Symon's Suppers.

About Knob Creek® Bourbon
Knob Creek® Bourbon has been handcrafting extraordinary full flavored bourbon with intriguing taste and bottled in unique flask shaped packaging for over 20 years, which has helped make it the #1 selling Super-Premium bourbon in the world. Aged for a full 9 years in new, charred American Oak barrels and bottled at an honest 100 proof, Knob Creek® Bourbon upholds the standard for what great bourbon ought to be with its big, full signature flavor. Launched in early 1992, at a time when the terms "craft" and "super-premium" bourbon didn't exist, Knob Creek® Bourbon is named after the small town in Kentucky where President Abraham Lincoln was born. In recent years, Knob Creek has expanded its portfolio releasing Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (120 proof / 60% alcohol by volume) in 2011 and Knob Creek Rye (100 proof / 50% alcohol by volume) in 2012. For more information on Knob Creek, visit www.knobcreek.com.

About Beam Inc.
As one of the world's leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker's Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher's Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,400 passionate associates worldwide generated 2012 sales of $2.5 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 38 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry's fastest growing innovations.

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

drink smart
Knob Creek® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Straight Rye Whiskey, 50%-60% Alc./Vol. ©2013 Knob Creek Distillery, Clermont, KY.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.