WHISKY & FOOD PAIRINGS...WHISKEY & FOOD PAIRINGS

@paddockjudge good thread. I was just searching the old threads on this last night. Here is the link to one I started a few months ago. connosr.com/bacon-wrapped-figs-whisky-disc… Lots of people love chocolate (especially high cacao content) with certain malts. I'm not such a fan of this pairing. The sweetness always seems to draw out the bitter notes in the whisky. The 'devils on horseback' pairing of bacon wrapped prunes baked in the oven is a definite winner. Salt, savoury and sweet. Others suggested to use figs or fresh dates instead of the prunes. I did fried rounds of quality black pudding with caramelised apple - perfect. And of course smoked salmon with island drams especially Talisker. So, it seems I prefer savoury options with my drams.

@Hewie I’m with you. I prefer savoury foods with my drams, if anything. Any kind of charcuterie with Laphroaig or Lagavulin is brilliant. Though I have to say sherried malts like Glendronach work well with savoury foods too. I’m not a fan of the dark chocolate/whisky combo.

@OdysseusUnbound At the Ontario Summit 1 and a half years ago @Robert99 provided some excellent Quebec charcuterie.

I agree lox goes with many isles.

I like milk chocolate, particularly Trader Joes, with a number of whisky styles, but particularly with sherried malts.

I think everything mentioned pairs well, you just have to find the right dram to go with it. Savory foods like smoked salmon or charcuterie meats I prefer to pair with more complex, peated whiskies. Chocolate lures out the sweetness for me and I also like ice-cream. For example rum raisin ice-cream with a dessert dram like Glendronach 12 is a wonderful pairing.

Caol Ila 12 year old and freshly opened oysters for a starter. Main course Amrut Fusion with French Onion soup just make sure that the caramelized onions were deglazed with a bit of Amrut. The Bouquet garne for the soup should have fresh sage and bay leaf. Finish with a gartine of swiss and emmental cheese. The dessert Haagen Daz whisky ice cream with a splash of Glendronach 15 year old.

Personally, it seems like a waste of good scotch.

@fiddich1980 - yeah, Ardbeg 10 for me with oysters (just a drop or two) but I suppose any good peaty one would do; they work well with sushi too. Also think salty cheeses like an aged Gouda go well with sherried whiskies. Often think bourbon and ice cream would work well but never tried it - not a fan of whisky and chocolate though.

@fiddich1980 Jim McEwan, apparently, according to a 2010 article, liked to put Bruichladdich Peat on oysters:

beta.theglobeandmail.com/life/…&

Obviously he didn't like it enough to put out more of that expression. Peat was my first Bruichladdich and I remember it fondly.

@Nozinan regarding the article. I remember "fondly" when Lagavulin 16 was around $80.00 a bottle in Ontario.

I spent the day making two cherry pies from scratch. My neighbour had dropped off a bag of freshly picked cherries from his back yard tree. They weren't sour cherries but sweet Bing cherries. A warm cherry pie and a glass of Four Roses Single Barrel batch DN 16P are a nice pairing. Cherry flavour and fruit sweetness of both bourbon and pie up front, cut by the baking spices warm in the latter part of the Four Roses. I used almond and vanilla extract for the cherry filling. This really highlights the almond note in the FRSB which I never recognised before.

@fiddich1980 Nice play.

If I were to make a pie from the cherries off our tree (assuming I had the patience for all those pits) I would need to choose a whisky that went with the high protein content of all the worms in the fruit...

@Nozinan maybe .... Lambertus

Costco used to sell brie cheese bites in a puff pastry. This paired wonderfully with Glen Elgin 12.

For me, dark chocolate pairs well with a heavily peated Islay whiskies, especially ones that have a lot of sherry cask influence. The sweetness of the sherry balances with the bitter chocolate.

Love the food porn threads,

@fiddich1980 good call on the cherry pie, if you like almond in your cherry pie, try making a frangipane (mix of pastry and almond cream/paste) to spread over the bottom before putting your cherry filling, you could always use almond flour in your crust instead.

Cheese is a great pairing not just with heavily peated whisky, I've had success with some sherried malts too. A crowd pleaser is to bake a brie or Camembert in a parcel along with caramelized onions, a bit of bown sugar and cranberries, you could go the savory route and use spinach and herbs to top it.

@Hewie I think I will have to try and use black pudding , that sounds like it go be really interesting.

@cricklewood It is nice to actually think about flavour profiles of whisky and try to see what dish it would pair and compliment. When I was a chef, way back in the past all I cared about was: not getting into the weeds, having enough mis-en-place to get through the rush. If things went South all that mattered was a pitcher of beer, a plate of wings, and couple doubles of Johnnie Walker, at the local hangout, with the brigade. We'd bitch about the sous, the waiters and the silly celebrity's demands.

@cricklewood agreed that cheeses can make excellent accompaniments to some whiskies. I like combining sweet and savoury together. Along with black pudding one of my other favourites was melon wrapped in prosciutto. Yum. Salty, umami, fruity.....

@Hewie Melon and prosciutto is good. But what does that have to do with whisky?

Oh wait...you're supposed to sip the whisky as you scarf down the hors d'oeuvres...

OK, I get it. I would think a nice Springbank 12 YO CS would go well there...

@Nozinan one does not "scarf down hors d'oeuvres in esteemed company whilst indulging in fine and rare whisky ha ha. But what would I know - my friends and I enjoy a mix of good food, good drinks, and good fun. Anymore than that is a cherry on the top. TBH I don't usually ready anything with my whisky.

@Hewie Stupid predictive text. Should read "TBH I don't usually eat anything with my whisky".

Great thread. Cheese and whisky have always gone together so nicely - at home, I sometimes make a grilled cheese sandwich using a gooey, stinky cheese like Stilton, or some other funky blue cheese on brioche (or good 'ol white bread) and have it with Lagavulin 16. The smokiness of the whisky plus the salt/stink of the cheese go very well together. When I crave salty/sweet, I make a peanut butter banana bacon sandwich (a la Elvis), and drink Glendronach with that.

There's a ice cream shop here in San Francisco that makes an ice cream called Secret Breakfast - it's bourbon, some kind of milk ice cream recipe they developed, and corn flakes.The shop had used Jim Beam in the early days, but I don't think so anymore as it tastes less "corny" (despite the corn flakes) and more sweet than I recall when they first offered it.

I don't often pair whisky with food but occasionally have a dabble.

I really like a drop or two of Ardbeg 10 in an oyster. Tried it with a few peaty whiskys but that is the one that really sings (I have a hunch Caol Ila would work as well). Sushi, which is best with Saki imo, also works well with coastal/peaty whiskys.

Similarly, I quite like strong cheeses (or 'mature' as I was corrected a while back at a deli - the pompous t*"t!) with whisky; blue cheeses with peaty whisky and an aged Gouda or cheddar with sherry matured whiskys. I still think red wine is the best partner for cheese.

Not really a fan of chocolate with whisky but that seems to be quite popular.

@RianC Speaking about Oysters, apparently Kim McEwan likes them with Bruichladdich PEAT, my first Laddie:

theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/…

One day I'll get to reviewing this dram, which introduced me to peat. This article also makes reference to my holy grail of Laddies, the classic edition 1.

@fiddich1980 being a former pirate err I mean cook myself I remember those days well, it was very difficult to carve out time to experiment and try out flavor combinations, we found a way but it usually meant spending your days off cooking and losing sleep to come in a couple of hours early. Don't even get me started on those ridiculous VIP requests, It's funny how no matter how bad your night went, a couple of drinks and a late night poutine could fix most woes. I was mostly into wine and beer back then, I developed a taste for whisky later.

@archivist nice grilled cheese combos, I have some Lagavulin 8 left I might try that with a Stilton/aged cheddar and kimchi grilled cheese (yes two umami bombs together but so good). I believe Humphry Slocombe had been using Jameson as their whisky for "secret breakfast" for a while now but it seems the label says boubon ice cream so it could also just be that the extra sweetness is attributed to the mixes being made in bigger batches, I think their fortunes have risen quite a bit in the last few years

@cricklewood good point as to a reason why the bourbon ice cream is sweeter no...Humphry Slocombe is no longer that small scoop shop on the corner but a mini-empire now. And I love your grilled cheese combo -- cheese and kimchi?! Sounds delicious. I must try that.

Went to dinner the other night at our favorite Italian restaurant and enjoyed fresh calamari sauteed with garlic and olive oil. Had it with High West Rendezvous Rye. I never tried High West before so figured now is a good a time as any. The sharpness of the garlic plus fresh, brininess of the calamari plus this rye's sweetness and citrus flavor was a good match. I didn't find this rye to be very spicy - I think if it was more spicy, it might be even better.

@archivist, A good rye goes with everything...

@paddockjudge except being on call... unless it's a rye bread...

@archivist, Pikesville 110 proof straight rye whiskey goes great with prosciutto and parmegiano reggiano (not padano) and perhaps some pickled capers and giardiniera.

@paddockjudge Thanks for the tip! Funny you mention but happen to have prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano, and capers in the 'fridge - now just need to pick up that Pikesville and a jar of giardiniera...sounds so tasty all together and perfect for this weekend.

@paddockjudge Is rye covered by the new tariffs? Pikesville looks reasonably priced at KGBO...

@Nozinan, idk if Pikesville 110 proof straight rye is on the tariff list, I believe it to be bourbon that is targeted. At $90 per bottle, Pikesville 110 proof is now $10 less than the fall 2018 release of Lot No 40 Cask Strength.