Whisky and food pairings

The idea of whisky and food paired together has always been a bit of a taboo subject. Most would say that whisky should be drunk unadulterated and on its todd. That is a statement I tend to agree with. Best drunk as an aperitif or as a digestive than with the meal its self. Why is that though? Why do we shy away from drinking spirits with meals? Well, I have spent the last week or so looking into the idea with great detail, a fantastic week of food and whisky. The first thing that I noticed was the fantastic potential of whisky in food. After all, it is the most flavourful of all the spirits; so why does it have a reputation of being unmatchable? Well, first of its Whisky its strong even at 40% Abv its still got a sting in its tale. This means that as much as you might love whisky with your ice cream and crushed shortbread you can't drink more than maybe two drams before your brain becomes heavy. This has and will probably always be the biggest hurdle for whisky and food. Now that being said there are recipes that manage to leap this hurdle, that show us that it is still possible to enjoy a Whisky and your favourite food together. Here is my list of perfect whisky pairings. Light whiskies are best paired with Fish and shellfish: Glenkinchie and Dalwhinnie are perfectly suited for;

• Sushi
• Smoked Salmon
• Scallops
• mild cheese and crusty bread
• Parsnip soup

Medium whiskies are best with a slightly smoked food or even a spice: Springbank 15 along with Ben Nevis 10 are perfect with;

• Smoked Mackerel
• Smoked Oysters
• Smoked mussels
• Pasta with tomato based sauces
• Haggis

Heavy whiskies (especially with peat) are best with stronger flavours and oddly sweet dishes Laphroaig 10 and Glendronach 12 are great with;

• Game Venison
• Partridge
• Pheasant
• Grouse
• IceCream
• caramel
• Salted Toffee

Give these a go and you will learn much like I did that whisky can be a great food pairing.