It’s no secret that Scotch whisky makes a perfect match with chocolate – many a whisky tasting is built around those key combinations of sweetness and richness which in turn brings out the flavours in the whisky itself. In celebration of International Chocolate Day on 7th July, we asked our team and our friends in the whisky world to tell us their favourite whisky and chocolate combinations – some you might have tried, some you definitely won’t (but we suggest you give them a chance). Either way, try not to get too hungry…
“I once had a deep-fried Mars Bar with a Glen Scotia Double Cask that was amazing together… Mars Bar courtesy of Cafe Piccante on the top of Broughton Road, Glen Scotia courtesy of my hip flask…”
Jacqui, Senior Visitor Assistant
“Try a dram of Bowmore 15 year old in a dark hot chocolate – it works really well”
Federica, Senior Whisky Advisor
“Try a Speyburn 18 year old with Jaffa Cakes, or perhaps a Glenallachie 10 year old with a Rolo dessert pot.”
Javin, Senior Whisky Advisor
“I recently really enjoyed an Aberlour A’Bunadh with a melt in the middle chocolate pudding (Iceland do a great vegan version, and incidentally, Aberlour is a vegan-friendly whisky!)”
Alison, HR and Recruitment Coordinator
“My favourite combinations are a sea salt milk chocolate with a fruity Speyside whisky, or a chilli dark chocolate paired with a smoky Islay!”
Blair Bowman, Whisky Consultant and Author
“I love a Glengoyne 18 year old and some milk chocolate with fudge, or a Glengoyne 21 year old paired with dark chocolate, nuts and raspberries”
Amy, Scotch Whisky Experience alumnus
“A Benrinnes with a square of Bourneville chocolate is a fantastic match.”
Jen, Senior Whisky Advisor
“For me the perfect chocolate and whisky pairing is one that I tried just the other day at Tullibardine. It was their Sauternes finished whisky with a chilli and lime dark chocolate. It just came together beautifully. The delicate sweetness from the Sauternes was really complimented by the sharpness of the lime. It probably helped that this was at the end of a brilliant tour I had at Tullibardine, but I thought it was definitely the best pairing I had tried.”
Elsa, Visitor Experience Manager
“One of the books onsale in the Scotch Whisky Experience shop – Favourite Recipes with Scotch Whisky – has a brilliant recipe for whisky truffles using GlenDronach single malt. Soak the raisins in the whisky overnight, then add it to the truffle mix along with some crushed biscuits. Tasty!”
Dani, Senior Visitor Assistant
“I’ve mentioned one of my favourite pairings – a Balvenie single malt with a Cadbury’s Crunchie – in a previous blog post on matching chocolate and whisky, but recently I also introduced the pairing of a Famous Grouse with a Mars Bar at my local pub – it’s a really fab match.”
Heather, Senior Visitor Assistant
For more ideas on pairing whisky with chocolate, look here
For some delicious recipes for using whisky in baking, click here
To book a whisky and food pairing tasting experience, click here