Whisky & Food Archives - Whisky a Day

Wagyu & Whisky…Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey

April 8, 2018 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Wagyu & Whisky…Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

A chilled out Sunday, a juicy wagyu striploin sitting in the fridge and a new bottle of whisky on the shelf. Time to get creative and whip up something delicious…waygu with a whisky and mushroom sauce.

I decided to use some wild mushrooms soaked in Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt, along with some fresh mushrooms, onion, garlic, butter, beef stock, double cream and some thyme. Just before serving, a splash of balsamic was added to sweeten up the mushroom sauce a little, as the intensity of the wild mushrooms and whisky had made it a little sharp.

Whisky #526: Glendalough 13 Year Old Mizunara Finish Single Malt Irish Whiskey. Ireland. ABV: 46%. Tasted at Whisky a Day HQ, $135 (bottle).

Colour: Golden toffee.

Nose: Fresh, sweet, floral and a bit damp. Like snapping a stem of a flower that’s been in a vase of water.

Palate: The earthiness of the mushrooms seems to make the sweeter floral notes of the whisky just “pop”. Tasting the whisky after dinner allowed time for my palate to recover from the bombardment of creamy fats from the sauce and the wagyu, letting floral and apricot danish notes come to the fore.

Finish: Juicy pineapple jubes and the fizziness of passionfruit mineral water. Zesty oak notes too.

Comments: It’s not until I finish eating that my palate can really come to grips with the whisky. It’s been nice, but the whisky was overshadowed by the richness of the wagyu and mushrooms. In fact, soaking the wild mushrooms in whisky seemed to have made their flavour more intense. My intent was to cook something that would complement the whisky; but the result tonight was that the whisky served to enhance the food. Wagyu and whisk(e)y are each fantastic in their own right, but together it feels like they’re both fighting for the attention of your tastebuds.

Whisky and Seafood – Whisky #513 & Whisky #514…Glenfarclas, Arran, King Crab and Lobster

December 28, 2017 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

Whisky and Seafood – Whisky #513 & Whisky #514…Glenfarclas, Arran, King Crab and Lobster.

Whisky and seafood, two of my great passions. I’ve enjoyed many whiskies, but I’ve not enjoyed reviewing too many more than today’s lineup.

Today’s seafood – fresh WA Rock Lobster and king crab legs from the Sydney Fish Market. The king crab legs are so tender, juicy and salty; while the rock lobster is firmer with very creamy flesh but a more subtle shellfish flavour.

Full-flavoured seafood deserves full-flavoured whisky. So let’s dive in to a couple of contrasting drams…a sherry influenced Glenfarclas and a creamy, tropical fruit malt from Arran.

Whisky #513: Glenfarclas 10 Year Old Single Malt Bottled at 50% Exclusively for The Whisky Club. ABV: 50.0%. $130 (bottle).

Colour: Deep caramel.

Nose: An initial nose prickle when you first pour it in the glass. After it settles there’s dried raisins and strawberry marshmallows.

Palate: Almost a bit tannic, like some red wine finished whiskies. Golden syrup and burnt butter with caramel.

Finish: Dry, spicy and a slightly briny aftertaste.

Seafood combination: The Glenfarclas is better with the king crab, which softens the tannins and accentuates the sweetness of the whisky. Brings out some fresh raspberry notes too.

Whisky #514: Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask Single Malt (Batch 2). Isle of Arran, Scotland. ABV: 55.2%. $135 (bottle).

Colour: Bright orange gold.

Nose: Like sticking a pine needle up your nose – it’s fresh and green, tickles a little and makes you pull away initially before heading back for more. Fresh lemon, kafir lime leaves, BBQ’d pineapple slices, and top-notch vanilla ice cream. None of that generic reduced fat, bleached white bulshit you buy from a cheap supermarket – this is the full cream, full-flavoured stuff where you can see the real vanilla beans swirled through the real deal cream coloured frosty goodness.

Palate: Loads of caramelised pineapple, honey, vanilla, and soft fresh oak.

Finish: Creamy, oh so creamy. Zesty lemon sherbet. Fresh prawns on freshly baked white bread you’ve picked up from the bakery that morning. Lemon cheesecake with a crumbled ginger nut cookie pastry. Sweet ginger spiciness.

Seafood combination: With the lobster, the lemon sherbet and fresh oak shine through. The king crab brings brown sugar, buttery croissants and juicy pineapple to the fore.

Overall comments: As a whisky, the Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask leaves the Glenfarclas in the shade. Combined with seafood though and they both allow some flavours to be accentuated and others to emerge. But overall, the Arran The Bothy Quarter Cask is an amazing dram that marries stunningly with fresh seafood like king crab or lobster. Outstanding stuff.

Whisky and Curry: Whisky #455 – Amrut Single Malt Single Cask Bottled for Dram Full & Beef Vindaloo

February 1, 2017 by Whisky a Day 4 Comments

Whisky and Curry: Whisky #455 – Amrut Single Malt Single Cask Bottled for Dram Full & Beef Vindaloo. Bangalore, India. ABV: 62.8%. Tasted at home, $140 (bottle).

India is one of the world’s largest whisky consumer markets. They bloody love the stuff. As we all know, the Indians are also quite fond of a curry. But do they drink their whisky with a curry? Wouldn’t the intense curry flavours, aromas and spiciness overpower any whisky? I’ve never tried whisky with curry before, but seeing as I cooked up a beef vindaloo curry and had a bottle of Indian whisky, Amrut Single Malt Single Cask Bottled for Dram Full) I thought I should give it a crack!

Colour: Brassy. Well, I guess turmeric would be more appropriate…

Nose: A strong nose prickle, hardly surprising for a cask strength whisky. Lots of spices, fresh lemon tarts, an old timber tea chest. With a bowl of hot curry sitting beside me it’s hard to get much more!

Palate: Citrus, butter and chilli. Maybe it’s the lingering heat of the curry? Taking a sip of whisky after a mouthful of curry seems to accentuate some brown sugar and raisin notes, though with plenty of earthy spice.

Finish: Having some whisky after the curry seems to bring back some of the heat from the curry. Topping up the glass after the curry is finished (purely for research purposes) reveals some sweeter meaty flavours – think char grilled steak – along with some dried candied orange.

Comments: I’ve enjoyed this Amrut immensely on its own, but haven’t had it with food before. My good mate Mahesh informs me that Indians have their whisky always pre or post food. I thought that curry might overpower the whisky, and in this instance it proved to be the case. Vindaloo is a spicy, full flavoured curry that really gives your tastebuds a smack. Perhaps a milder curry might pair well with some whiskies? Then again, maybe whisky and curry don’t really mix and we should stick to having whisky pre or post curry…after all, 1 billion people can’t be wrong.

Beef vindaloo prep

Whisky & Chocolate Truffles

July 2, 2015 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Whisky and chocolate…it’s been a partnership I’ve wanted to explore for a while, so when I heard of a fantastic chocolatier in Perth named Sue Lewis (http://suelewischocolate.com) who makes whisky truffles, I just had to try them. Sue mentioned that when she makes the ganache for her truffles, she only adds the whisky towards the end so that the flavours of the whisky are preserved and unaffected by other flavours and the heat required to make the ganache.

On this occasion, Sue had some milk chocolate truffles made with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt as well as some Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Dark Chocolate Truffles. I also have a weakness for salted caramel, so I grabbed some of her salted caramel dark chocolate truffles as I figured they might go nicely with a smokey or spicy malt.

Glenlivet Milk Chocolate Truffles with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt: Milk chocolate truffles with a chocolate ganache with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. A very faint hint of whisky, but it’s very subtle. Chocolatey almost rum ball kind of flavours to the ganache. Smooth, creamy milk chocolate, the ganache almost has some hazelnut flavours to it. I think the truffles are amazing, though perhaps The Glenlivet 12 is too subtle a whisky to let its characteristics shine though over the rich creamy chocolate flavours. I think the whisky compliments the chocolates very nicely, but truffles are definitely the star in this pairing.

Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Dark Chocolate Truffles: Dairy free dark chocolate with Knob Creek 9 Year Old Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon. These were sweeter than the Glenlivet truffles, presumably that’s the bourbon’s sweeter characteristics shining through. Rich, brown sugar & cream notes, dry cocoa too. As a whisky truffle I think this combination allows the bourbon flavours to come through more compared to the Glenlivet truffles, though purely on flavour I’d go for the Glenlivet truffles (even if the whisky influence is extremely subtle).

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles with Talisker 57° North Single Malt: These truffles did not contain any whisky, but I figured a salted caramel truffle would be a good match for the salty, rich and subtle honeycomb flavours of the Talisker.

There was a satisfying crack as we snapped through the exterior of the salted caramel truffle. The Talisker was smokey on the nose, but had some intense saltiness on the palate…which complimented the salty sweetness of the salted caramel truffle brilliantly. Stunning. Individually they are both great, but together they are amazing. Wow, what a combination. I think the dark chocolate worked particularly well with the salted caramel and whisky combo.

Overall, the Glenlivet truffles were fantastic on their own and would appeal to everyone, whether a whisky fan or not. I’d like to try some truffles containing whisky with a bit more body and character, maybe some rich sherry flavours from say an Aberlour. But the winner was definitely the salted caramel dark chocolate truffles – you don’t have to have whisky in the chocolate to enjoy whisky with chocolate. These flavours were amazing with the Talisker 57° North, though I’d like to explore some more dark chocolate, salted caramel flavours with some other smokey and spicy malts, particularly from Islay.

If you’re in Perth I’d suggest you pick up some dark chocolate salted caramel truffles, grab a few Islay or other Island malts and settle in for a night of gastronomic experimentation, you won’t be disappointed.

Three Whiskies with Sirloin & Smoked Cheddar Sauce

June 13, 2015 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

Three whiskies with sirloin and a smoked cheddar sauce…it’s a mouthwatering way to spend a quiet night in. Long time readers will know that I love my whisky (obviously) but also fine food and cooking, so the step from tasting a Whisky a Day to exploring whisky & food pairings is a logical one.

For this exercise, seeing as I’m a novice at pairing whisky with food I decided to cook one meal and try it with three contrasting styles of whisky to begin exploring what flavours might work together. I’ve got a fantastic cut of sirloin, then I made the sauce using a smoked cheddar from the Margaret River Dairy Company along with some cream and a few other goodies. These are all whiskies I’ve tasted before, which was a deliberate choice as I’m already familiar with each dram and know what to expect, plus I figured to taste a whisky for the first time and consider the food combination as well might be overcomplicating things a little. So without further ado, let’s get tasting!

Gordon & MacPhail Reserve Highland Park 15 Year Old Single Malt – Exclusively Bottled for Dram Full (Cask No. 4255): The fruity vanilla notes get a bit drowned out by the rich smokiness of the cheddar and salty char-grilled goodness of the steak. But surprisingly, they then come through like a wave. Even when taking a sip of whisky while still having some steak and sauce in my mouth to let the flavours really get to know one another, it’s not a comfortable union. It’s almost like the cheese and whisky are playing tug of war for the attention of my tastebuds. When the cheddar cuts through you get more alcohol notes without the whisky flavour. I love this whisky on its own, but it doesn’t really work with the food here.

Edradour 12 Year Old Caledonia Selection: A much better match – the rich sherry and caramel notes of the whisky balance out the sharpness of the cheddar beautifully. It doesn’t have the alcohol heat come through like the Highland Park. The sweetness complements the charring on the steak brilliantly as well. The Caledonia was the only whisky that I had to go back to get a refill…which should indicate how much I enjoyed this combo!

Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt: I have to admit I wasn’t quite sure how this combination would go – a char-grilled steak; a sharp aged cheddar sauce; and then the smokiness of an Islay malt. Does it work? Absolutely!! I think that perhaps because the Machir Bay has some slightly sweeter notes compared to other Islay malts, it definitely works with the steak and smokey cheddar combination. I noted in my original review last year that it didn’t have the peatiness or the meatiness of the really great Islay malts, but for this particular setting with some other dominant flavours it actually compliments the steak and sauce beautifully.

Overall comments: I love my steak, usually accompanied by a big ballsy red wine with lots of flavour and rich fruitiness. We’re lucky here in Australia to have some absolute ball-tearers when it comes to red wine, so the notion of having a whisky with a big juicy steak was a step into the unknown. I think the Edradour Caledonia was definitely the pick of the combinations, though the Kilchoman Machir Bay was a close second. Maybe the sweetness and rich, caramelised fruitiness of the Caledonia was akin to some of the bold, fruity red wines I’d usually go for? To test this theory, as always I might just have to continue the research…