Food For Thought

In last month’s missive on art, we shared that whiskymaking is about more than just the liquid in the glass - it’s also about how whisky interacts with the world around it. That’s why, whenever we release a new one, we’ll always gather as a team, often around the bar, to explore how it pairs with food.

We always say to drink whisky “however you like”. This is a philosophy that extends beyond your favourite glass, your preference for ice or no ice, or your choice of whisky cocktail; it even encompasses food and whisky pairings. Food can be a way of demystifying Scotch, making it more interesting and fun whilst keeping flavour and balance at the heart of everything. 

With all that in mind, this email is the first of a two-part conversation: an exploration of the intricate relationship between food and whisky. In part two we’ll stand on the chef’s side of the pass as we talk to James Sharp but, for today, you’re on our side.

FOOD AS INSPIRATION

We take a lot of inspiration from the domain of winemaking, as you can see in our self-titled moniker of being whiskymakers - a word that we invented back in 2006.

The pairing of wine with food is a traditional culinary cornerstone, a testament to how different flavours and textures can bring out more in a dining experience. But, we ask ourselves, why only with wine? Why not with whisky too?

Why not challenge the conventional wisdom and explore where the rich complexities of Scotch meet the diverse flavours of food? It’s in this spirit of subversion, of challenging expectations, that we find our most compelling ideas.

Consider, for instance, our Whisky De Table - a whisky we first launched in 2016 and crafted with the express purpose of being enjoyed alongside food. Much like a fine table wine, its lower ABV and lighter profile made it a companion for a wide range of dishes, something unpretentious that was meant to be shared.

If that’s one end of the spectrum, the world of haute cuisine is the other, where cooking is at once both an art and a science. There is a parallel between this world and that of blending, with both sharing an almost obsessive focus on combinations. In the kitchen, the chef balances salt and heat, fat and acid. While in The Blending Room, we create balance by mapping the flavour profiles of different whisky parcels against their textural qualities, thin to thick, oily to dry.

As in the best restaurants, whisky is about how every element comes together. People, context, place, ingredients, flavours, textures… Just as the world of food must account for all these factors, so must we.

"Once you look beyond the confines of your own kitchen, you will find an infinite number of pairings just waiting to be explored." 

This is from ‘The Art & Science of Foodpairing’, a book from our library. It is that spirit of exploration, of venturing beyond the familiar, that guides our approach to food pairing.

As with our blending, we’re on a quest for the new, the novel and the exciting, underpinned by a commitment to balance and deliciousness. And so we find there are two ways in which whisky and food combine: one the complementary, one the contrasting. 

Complementary pairings build upon the flavours or characteristics which are inherent within the food and the whisky. For flavour, Nectarosity’s oak-driven sweetness, which comes from two special American oak barrels, finds its partner in Parisian patisseries. For character, Hedonism’s attitude and intent connect it to salted caramel chocolates - less a flavour combination and more a shared idea of indulgence and hedonistic behaviour. 

Contrasting pairings, on the other hand, embrace the tension between opposing flavours, creating something more surprising like The Peat Monster and blue cheese. These are two directly competing and contrasting flavours: smoke and peat are bold and strong, blue cheese is sharp and pungent. They could clash like oil and water, but instead they build to something even better.

THREE PAIRS OF ACES

Here are three pairings currently interesting us…

1. Orchard House & Cheddar
Apple and cheese is a classic combination, with the crispness of the former cutting through the creaminess of the latter. Hence we follow suit with Orchard House and cheddar, and the juicy sweetness of the apple balancing the rich saltiness of the cheese. 

2. The Peat Monster & Oysters
The coastal distilleries that contribute to The Peat Monster share a kinship with the briny salinity of the sea, a connection that is beautifully expressed in this pairing. Coastal peat and oysters are texturally very similar and have a lovely creaminess to them.

3. Crimson Casks & Vanilla Ice Cream
An affogato-inspired delight that’s also a nostalgic call-back to childhood summers of vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry sauce. This Crimson Casks pairing fulfils that wonderful thing of being delicious yet surprising.