Food For Thought II
In our last post, Food For Thought, we looked at the intricate relationship between food and whisky from our side as the whiskymaker. Now it’s time to head over to the other side of the pass and hear from James Sharp. James works across the full spectrum of food, from Michelin-star to street eats. There are many reasons we like James, but perhaps this quote from him sums it up the best…
“Food is all about that transcendence into the realm of taste and away from the mundane everyday, the boring, the static and the flat. A terrible day can be transformed by a good meal.”
Not unlike whisky, we think. Now that’s the introductions done, over to James...
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
I’ve always appreciated crafts that take time to master, intricacies that most will not even notice being worked on to the nth degree. This is why I find whisky so interesting. It’s a real art-form that is incredibly hard to do well.
I grew up drinking it with my Dad on Speyside. I remember being shown around distilleries as a kid and it always blew my mind. The process, the history and, of course, the end result all tell a story. I like that.
PLAYING WITH WHISKY
I’ve done a lot of fishing in the north of Scotland, and remember using a gentle dram and brown sugar on a salmon I caught. That was the first time I really started playing with whisky and food. It was a bit like curing the fish.
Another time that comes to mind was a MasterChef dish I made. My Dad keeps bees and so I did a Hot Toddy parfait. It had a whisky jelly over a honey and lemon parfait, and it just worked really nicely together. Which leads me onto…
WHISKY & FOOD - WHAT WORKS TOGETHER?
Pairing with whisky is exceptionally fun and really stands up to my style of cooking. I work with big flavours, and believe that sometimes you need to pull back the flavour of a dish to accommodate the subtle notes of a whisky. This is contrary to what most think the process would be.
When pairing food with a whisky, I think respecting the notes of the whisky is paramount. It's about taking into consideration what the maker wants from the dram, otherwise it's a fruitless task. Be respectful and delicate, and turn it up when needed.
I’m a great believer in being playful with pairings. If you want to match a super light, fruit-forward subtle whisky with grilled meat, and the boot fits, crack on. Just make sure that you play to both elements’ strengths. I love whacking high octane, big-flavour whisky with aged meat as much as the next person, but there is always a space for letting one or the other take the lead.
SO, WHAT DOESN’T WORK WHEN PAIRING?
You always want to be working with the whisky. Clashes happen when you go big with big, and try to fight the dish with the whisky instead of harmonising them. If you have contrasting flavours you want them to sing together.
On paper, whisky doesn’t work with a lot of food. If you were to write all the notes out you’d think a whisky wouldn’t work with delicate dishes. But think about the intricate elements of it: if something is particularly sweet in a dish, then you can amplify that with the smokiness of a whisky.
When you’re working with pairings you need incredible ingredients and whisky, if one has to work with another to be good then it shouldn’t be on the table.
TWO PAIRINGS THAT COME TO MIND
I’ve created a few pairing menus using Compass Box’s whiskies. While they’ve included some technical dishes that you might not do at home, the fundamental pairings are definitely something you can try.
1. Orchard House & Fish
I did a cured bass, torched jalapeño and kaffir lime tart with Orchard House - a crisp, slightly brighter whisky that works really well with something high in acid, almost like having a pickle note running through it. With cured fish, you want something light and fragrant, not heavy, and Orchard House really helps lift the palate. It’s like adding a bit of ginger to sushi.
As a side note: the opposite to the lightness of a fish, is the earthiness of a gamey meat. I remember doing a venison dish with Crimson Casks and this was one of my favourite pairings, just perfectly in sync.
2. Nectarosity & Chocolate
For a chocolate marshmallow, salted caramel and miso dessert, I was originally going to use Orchard House for something fresh and funky. But actually I ended up playing with Nectarosity for its more oaky richness. It has a sweet note which works well for dessert: it settles in while still being a big hitter.
A FINAL WORD
If you’re thinking about what food to pair with what whisky, then all I can say is: don’t overthink it! Have a play around, see what you like, see what you don’t, and just enjoy the interestingness of it all.
Good luck!
