Food to serve at a Whiskey tasting?

[Jenise]

Friends are throwing a whiskey tasting party. I'll be expected to take a food item. Whiskeys could be anything from bourbon to Japanese. I have a week to come up with something clever. Ideas?

[Robin Garr]

Jenise, I'm not a huge fan of food with high-octane spirits, but one rule of thumb for Bourbon is to go with succulent, fat-forward items like ham, cheese, charcuterie, or nuts to smooth the alcoholic heat.

Here's some bourbon-centric advice from the Kentucky Distillers' Association.
https://kybourbon.com/enthusiast-storie ... s-manager/

Yeah, I'd be inclined to serve a hard cheese like a Neal's Yard farmhouse cheddar, something with some punch in the lower register of aromatics (counterpoint: a ripe washed-rind cheese would be a vile pairing with whiskey). I'd think that a dessert could also go nicely, something like pecan pie or shortbread. (Disclaimer: I drink whiskey next to never but have been known to tipple an Islay single malt in my youth)

I'd look at something fairly neutral like a not very sweet oat-cake. Nothing that alters the taste of the whiskeys.

[Jenise]

I'm a solid fan of beef jerky with bourbon. But, the thing is, there will be like 15-20 people at this party and food is a must, no matter what anyone thinks of such a combination. There will be some good whiskeys there but no Pappy Van Winkles or anything rare.

Robin, thanks for the link, I'll look at that.

Bread pudding with whiskey sauce. Good make ahead dish. Feeds a crowd. Can be eaten at room temperature or heated oven or microwave for those who like theirs warm.

Myhttps://spicedblog.com/bourbon-steak-kabobs/
Hubby loved these with bourbon—a delicious pairing.
If you have a source for a delicious smoked salmon, that would be great too, and save you some work. Along with some hard cheeses.

Jenise, what did you end up serving at this event?










jenise

[Jenise]

I made a smoked salmon spread to take and was going to grill off baguette slices, but ended up delayed in town by an hour so I decided to just show up empty handed, and feed the spread to the seagulls.

I'm sure the seagulls will be hanging around your house a bit more.

Quite seriously, Jenise, (as someone with 67 different singe malts in the cellar and who used to go to quite a few Scotch tastings) you want 1) small pours done by waiter, not consumer - about 1/2 oz. each, and 2) some food that absorbs the alcohol, nothing fancy. Fail to do that and it isn't a tasting, it is a piss-up!

PS - you also want them to have eyedroppers and a glass of water as you would normally taste neat and then add a few drops of water and retaste - they will open up amazingly with that addition

[Jenise]

Bill, I fully understand that. But notice that I didn't just call it a whiskey tasting, but a "whiskey tasting party". With that I was trying to imply that it wasn't going to be a serious event, just people standing around drinking whiskey instead of wine. I own proper cairns but took a short cocktail glass instead because it would be more important to bring a glass no one else would mistake for their own than to properly assess the drinks. I took a Rye that someone had given me (turned out to be exceptional, but going in I didn't know that), there was one only one real scotch, two Japanese whiskeys, and the rest bourbons--including a peanut butter flavored one. (No, I did not taste it.)

Some of the Japanese whiskys are excellent. Not a fan of Bourbon - the corn mash is always fairly evident.. There are also some excellent Irish whiskys. Not a big fan of Canadian Rye Whisky either, though it is very popular here.

Was there any favourite at your event?

[Jenise]

Yes re Japanese whiskeys. Never drink these things by myself but I have two high end versions which I deemed too good to take to this party. Re favorites, my and by and large the group's favorite based on the chatter I heard was the Rye I brought, Stellum, which like I said I didn't buy, it was given to me. I knew nothing about it except that it's not a supermarket brand and I didn't think I'd miss it not being in my liquor cabinet anymore. Higher alcohol than some but incredibly smooth in spite of that, and very complex. It had the kind of refinement that stands apart and above a group of common bourbons like Makers Mark and Angels Envy or that peaty Laphroig I mentioned being there. There wasn't any leftover to bring home. The Japanese one I liked was aged in cherry wood barrels--again, very refined.

Late to the game but one of my favorite pairings is bleu cheese with a smoky scotch.

[Jenise]

I can picture that!