Six Favorite Internet Resources for Scotch and Food Pairing

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pairing-sites Want to avoid spending way too much time trolling whisky distillery websites and googling your heart out to find book-mark worthy food matching tips? Check out Sip Smoke Savor's six favorite internet resources for scotch and food pairings. These sites provide plenty of information and inspiration to get you started. So what are you waiting for - Click and Explore! Links and instructions are provided at the bottom of the page.

Malts.com

If you are wondering what dram to have with dinner, look no further than the great guide at Malts.com. Expert chefs have paired Diageo malts with seven categories of food. I dare you to keep from salivating as you thumb through their "electronic menu blackboard" to discover new food and spirit combinations. One culinary theme seems to be that hearty dishes work best with whiskies of substantial flavor and body. Another is that Scotch pairs well with all sorts of ethnic dishes. Take for instance the Indian food category. As a lover of spicy foods, I am totally on board with the prospect of pairing Chicken Tiki Marsala with the Talisker 10 year old, but pick your own favorite and personally test their selections. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie approaches the pairing table with true gourmand appeal in their limited but selective recommendations. Their beautiful website, while sometimes slow to navigate, delivers spectacular recipes created by Chef Alejandro Sanchez. Here you will find Duck with Orange, Chocolate & Rose Petals served with Quinta Ruban. A daring Tuna, Seaweed, Lime & Vanilla Yoghurt recipe is married with Nectar D'Or. What is left to say about this website than "More Please!"

Highland Park

Scottish Food writer Sue Lawrence lends her passion and expertise to Highland Park for pairings with their core expressions. Six recipes are thoughtfully provided in PDF files. Be sure to read through all, for her additional suggestions go beyond the featured recipe. Scottish cuisine seems to reign supreme when matched with native spirits. This confirms an old wine pairing adage of choosing your drink from the same region of the cuisine that you are serving. But chocolate is universal, so don't miss the Bitter Chocolate and Ginger Truffles matched to a Highland Park 30 year old.

Glenfiddich

"Food for Thought" on Glenfiddich's website offers a short video and written pairings for four of their wonderful drams. You will also find eight recipes among the many recommended match-ups to tease your tastebuds. I am personally keen to try the Sweet Sour King Prawns with Glenfiddich 12 year old or the Citrus Duck with Glenfiddich 18 year old.

Starchefs

Check out my favorite "go to" site for gastronomy in general. Starchefs.com offers a dream menu for whisky pairing in an article entitled "Scotch Steps Forward to the Table". Author Jim Clarke really nails it. He presents culinary creations wed to Macallan and Highland Park expressions through a five course meal. Lobster Cappucino Soup with Macallan 25 year old is just one of eight fabulous recipes by famous master chefs. This article was published in January of 2005, so you might want to review it soon before it is no longer available on-line.

Whisky Kitchen

I highly recommend a visit to WhiskyKitchen.com to absorb the wisdom of masters in cooking and pairing scotch. Sheila McConachie & Graham Harvey have generously provided ten recipes and sage words on their website. These are from their inspired book that is a "must have" for lovers of the malt (click here for our review of their book). While the emphasis here is on cooking with whisky, what better way is there to ensure a good match than to include it as an ingredient.

Follow these links to access each site. Distillery websites will require that pesky "legal-age sign in". Refer to our instructions once you reach their inside homepage.

www.Malts.com - Once you are on their homepage, click on "Try the Malt Matcher", then select "Start Matching". It may take a few seconds to load before you arrive at "My Favorite Food". Click and explore the dishes all matched to Diageo drams.

www.glenmorangie.com - Find your way to the "Expressions" wheel of their kaleidosope. Click on "Explore the Porfolio", then choose Original, Lasanta, Nectar D'Or or Quinta Ruban to reveal stunning food combinations and recipes.

www.highlandpark.co.uk/ - This one is easy. Once you are on the homepage select "Just for Fun" to find pairing advice and recipes.

www.glenfiddich.com - Select "Glenfiddich Explorer" from their homepage. You need to register before going any further. Then head for "Food for Thought" within the Explorer section to enjoy their food pairing tips.

http://www.starchefs.com/wine/starspirits/html/scotch/scotch.shtml - This will link you directly to the article "Scotch Steps Forward at the Table" by Jim Clarke on Starchefs.com.

http://www.whiskykitchen.com/samples/index.php - This will link you directly to recipes on their website.

Footnote: If we missed a valuable internet resource, please contact me at mail to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or click on our Social Network tab to comment in our food pairing forum. We also welcome you to write on our Facebook wall and share your suggestions with others.