Green River Bourbon

Green River is sold here as a straight bourbon-category whiskey, and the details we have are limited to the name and the style, so the notes below describe what bourbon of this type typically delivers, not a measured profile of this bottle. By law bourbon is made from at least 51 percent corn and aged in new, charred oak, which is why you can expect a corn-driven sweetness up front, with caramel, vanilla and toasted oak underneath. Many bourbons also show a little baking spice, such as cinnamon or nutmeg, and a faint char note on the finish, with the rye or malted barley in the mash bill adding some grain character and dryness. For sipping, start neat in a Glencairn glass. The tapered bowl concentrates the aroma, so you can pick out the vanilla, oak and grain before tasting. If the alcohol feels sharp, add a few drops of room-temperature water. This loosens the spirit and tends to bring out the sweeter, fruitier notes. A rocks glass with one large cube suits slower sipping. The cube melts slowly, so it chills the pour without watering it down quickly. Smaller cubes dilute faster and flatten the oak and spice. Bourbon's corn sweetness and oak structure make it a natural base for the classic American cocktails. An Old Fashioned is the most direct use: stir 2 oz with a sugar cube or a teaspoon of simple syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters over ice, then express an orange peel over the top. In a Manhattan, swap in sweet vermouth for the sugar, using 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz vermouth and a couple of dashes of bitters, and stir until cold. A Whiskey Sour takes 2 oz bourbon, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice and ¾ oz simple syrup, shaken hard and strained over fresh ice. The caramel and vanilla notes round off the lemon's sharpness. For something lighter, build a highball in a tall glass with ice, 1.5 to 2 oz bourbon and 4 to 5 oz of ginger ale or soda water. Ginger ale pairs well with the sweetness, while soda keeps it drier. At the table, bourbon matches smoked or grilled meats, barbecue glazes and aged cheddar, and it works with desserts built on caramel, pecans or dark chocolate.