Whisky peat | Whisky Lady

To say it was a special evening was an understatement! We began with three whiskies from Kilchoman having exactly the same peat level (50 ppm) yet each remarkably different.

Then after the initial blind sampling, the whiskies were revealed then move on to the real fun – whisky & food pairing!

1st course – Machir Bay

Machir Bay with salad: A delightful salad with smoked cheese, smoked olive oil, smoked almond, smoked salt, light greens offset with bursts of cherry tomatoes.

Pairing experience?

Whisky was very smooth, softened all the peat, some speculated that the salad surprisingly conquered the whisky making it delicate and dainty which was a complete contrast to the character we found sampling alone. Like gelding a stallion.

2nd course – Sanaig

Sanaig with main: Choice between a smoked winter vegetable ratatouille & smoked applewood chicken with an almond mash potato.

Pairing experience?

Brilliant match with both veg & non-veg options! The food brought out the sherry elements in the whisky with the nose taking on a gorgeous sweet raisin, plum almost port like quality that balanced the smoked flavours beautifully. The cracked black pepper in the potato mash added just the right heat. An excellent combination! Some attempted with the 3rd whisky but that simply did not work.

3rd course – Sherry Cask Strength

Sherry cask strength with desert: A lovely chocolate cake with a Sherry Cask Strength whisky ganache.

Pairing experience?

While sherry with such a chocolate desert is a perfect combination, cask strength with peat is a tough combination to pull off. Suggestion of a Glendronach or something with a little less ‘kick’ may have been a better compliment. In this pairing, the whisky spice dominated however the whisky spiked sauce? A fabulous luscious indulgence!

How did the whisky-food pairing fare overall?

Machir Bay and salad pairing was absolutely on the right track, though curious how the smokey salad flavours conquered the whisky
Sanaig and main course pairing was perfection. Absolute balance between the elements, complimenting beautifully
Sherry Cask Strength and chocolate pairing was a gamble…. In this case, the whisky spice was more pronounced than the delicious chocolate however no one was really complaining 🙂

Overall a marvellous evening – three unique expressions from Kilchoman paired with delightful dishes.

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For those new to Whisky Lady in India, many of the notes come from tasting sessions of a small private whisky group based in Mumbai.

For those not familiar with the approach our whisky tasting club takes… here’s a snapshot:

Meet once a month, same time, same day and week of the month
Rotate hosts with the host responsible for ‘curating’ the evening
Taste blind!

Which means only one person (i.e. the whisky contributor/host) knows what is being served. That puts him / her firmly in the ‘driver’s seat’ as far as whisky selection and tasting order.

Over the years, we’ve tended to apply three simple guidelines. They may seem obvious but can also produce surprises too.

Hello peat! (The Whisky Exchange)

Peat

Naturally we pay attention to peat levels – it is hard to appreciate an exquisite delicate grain whisky after a peat monster!

However usually, the host also has not tried the whisky before our session so relies on the distiller or bottler tasting notes or others reviews – sometimes the descriptions are a bit misleading.

When 60% seemed like high 40s%! (Whisky Lady)

Strength

We may pay attention to alcohol strength – you don’t want to whallop your guests with a bold cask strength whisky at 60+% then follow with a wimpy 40% strength. However when all the whiskies are in the 45 – 55 % range, this is less of a factor.

We’ve also been surprised by some incredibly smooth cask strength whiskies that are highly deceptive in their alcohol level – one time we guessed at most 48% and it turned to be 63.1%!

Whisky age trivia (Scotchfest 2015)

Age

Another way to order whiskies for tasting is by age. Generally, young whiskies with an interesting new make spirit have some character but are still developing whereas there are certain levels of nuance and complexity that really only comes with maturity.

If the young upstart comes after a grand old dame, you may miss appreciating some of what the youngster has to offer. However equally, we’ve had a 25 year old be completely outclassed by a young No Age Statement (NAS) whisky.

So… while these are tips that generally work, half the fun is discovering how in the world of whisky, there are exceptions to every rule!

Additionally, it isn’t one factor alone but a combination that helps make the tasting order decision.

Most important is simply to go on a journey of discovery and explore what works for you!

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