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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.