Fancy a dram with your Christmas dinner? We asked Scotch Whisky Experience Visitor Assistant Heather Newlands to put together some matches for a classic Christmas menu, using the flavours and aromas in some well-known Scotch whiskies to enhance those festive flavours in the food. Enjoy!
“Now that I have exposed my love for the decadent chocolate with amber nectar (have a read of our chocolate and whisky matching blog post from earlier this year!), I wish to indulge just a little further into the world of whisky and Christmas delicacies. Christmas brings spice, citrus, berries, plums and dried fruits, all of which are aromas and flavours encapsulated within Scotch whisky. My choices are a personal match to give you an introduction to ‘the spice of life’.
The Menu
Starter: Chicken liver pork pate
with a Tomintoul 15 year old Portwood finish
In this match, the whisky smooths out the pate, bringing out the delicate sweetness of the pork.
Main course: Roast turkey with all the trimmings
paired with Auchentoshan American Oak
This perfect match lets the vanilla tones in the whisky compliment the juicy white turkey meat.
Alternative main course – if you prefer a baked ham pierced with cloves and laden with marmalade glaze, try a Dalmore 12 year old which brings out flavours of oranges and rich spice on the palate.
Dessert: Christmas pudding with Royal Lochnagar
The Lochnagar has lots of sherry tones and a subtle whiff of smoke which goes perfectly with a recently flamed Christmas pudding.
Finish your meal with a mince pie and dram of Glenkinchie 12 year old. As a light Lowland whisky with fresh citrus notes, the Glenkinchie brings out the lemon peel in the mince pie filling, and balances out the sweetness of the pastry.
Last but not least, treat yourself to a lovely dark roast coffee, adding a shot of the famous elixir made by Bonnie Prince Charlie’s royal apothecary, Drambuie. Christmas in a bottle.
After dinner has settled and the whisky as worked its magic, close your eyes, drift off and dream.
Merry Christmas!
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