DRINKS
Scotch GETS FLIRTY
WITH FOOD The next time you’re planning a feast, give the wine a go-by. Stock up, instead, on a few bottles of the finest Scotch, then sit back and feel the whisky cosy up to your palate.
SEPT-OCT 2013
When one thinks of pairing drinks with food, what usually comes to mind is wine.
But Scotland’s most famous produce, in all its various, glorious guises, is (I’m glad to share) as ‘open’ to betrothal as the finest vintage. the mellowest blend and the peatiest malt offer much – and are splendid company – alongside a gourmet meal. “For most of us, the idea of pairing wine with food is considered when planning for any dinner party or special occasion,” says Richard Paterson,master blender with Black Dog (he’s also associated with Whyte & Mackay). Paterson’s nose is so good at discovering the perfect blend that it has been insured for $2.6 million. So, just the right chap to buttonhole if you’re mulling over
pairing a Scotch whisky with the coming weekend’s midday banquet.
Paterson’s been a master blender for nearly half a century. This experience makes him the go-to man when it comes to seeking advice on the best blends – and the best food pairings. “You will be surprised to know that the options for pairing Scotch with food are endless,and can be just as enjoyable as that perfect wine and food pairing.”
Such a notion, insists Paterson, isn’t as fanciful as it first seems. “Scotch offers a whole range of flavours and aromas that pair perfectly with certain foods. From the sweet and light, through to the strong and powerful, Scotch can be paired with any part of your meal.” Including appetizers and
desserts, and it’s not just blended whiskies that can be wedded to cuisines: “Single malts, pot-still whiskies, bourbons, and rye whiskies offer an interesting range of tastes and aromas which are just as varied as wine.”
In Scotland, whisky is an integral part of culinary culture. It is imbibed alongside food, a way of life that, Paterson reveals, stretches back centuries. “Traditionally, a country’s drink of choice is born out of what (it) can harvest and ferment. There are no grapes in Scotland, but plenty of barley, the basis of Scotch. “Scotch whisky has long been overlooked as a food-pairing beverage. But it is an amazingly complex spirit and as such, it lends itself to complementing the flavours in a variety of foods. Such flavours and aromas act