Cheese is one of the most fascinating food groups. Never boring, it provides such a  great variety of tastes, textures and of course the delivery of that one-of-a-kind, robust olfactory experience. As a youngster I'd take a warm and gooey grilled cheese sandwich over "PB&J" any day of the week.  As an adult I found that cheese offers just the right light snack to accompany my favorite dram.  If you have not tried this taste duo, you might be surprised at how exquisite the pairing when properly matched.  Something wonderful happens as the silkiness of scotch cuts through the creaminess of cheese and flavor notes of one accentuate the other.  Together they offer endless possibilities for intriguing taste combinations.

If you have yet to experiment matching these two, you might find the vast range of flavors in both scotch and cheese a bit daunting to pair.  So start with a trip to a reputable cheese merchant and sample a variety of cow, goat and sheep's milk products.  Let these experts guide you to the best selection for your palate. Once you have settled on your diary products, try to categorize by overall characteristics, whether tangy, nutty, sweet or pungent.  Categorizations will suggest a certain range of whiskies to help narrow down your matching choices. Take your time to register the flavor notes of each cheese sample. I found that picking an accompaniment of fruits and nuts will further enhance those same notes in both cheese and scotch.  Sometimes that "borrowed" fruit or nut flavor is the note that helps one zero in on the right dram.  It may also help to seek out information on wine recommendations for each cheese as these are easier to find.  If sherry is mentioned, try a malt with a sherry cask finish instead.  Wine recommendatins also provide sweet, dry, or fruity clues to help reduce the trial and error of your scotch to cheese pairings.

Enjoy the journey of experimentation.  Take in the visual, tactile and aromatic dynamics of both food and drink.  Let your tongue explore the smooth, soft or sometimes grainy textures of the cheese.  Then as you sip each scotch, contemplate the delightful marriage of flavors.  Since there are numerous combinations that can come together, you are invited to start down the road with my favorite pairings.  But don't hesitate to detour and make great taste discoveries on your own.

Tangy Humboldt Fog Cheese with a 14 Year Old Oban or Glenlivet 16 year old Nadurra

This soft and gooey cheese is one of the finest American goat cheeses from Cypress Grove Chevre in Arcata, California.  Its signature vegetable ash stripe down the center and under the rind, helps to neutralize the acidity and remove some of the "goatiness" of this tomme style cheese.  Earthy, herbaceous with a slight tang, the Humboldt Fog makes a stunning treat when paired with spicy fig preserves (Academia Barilla brand) or a beautiful plate with fresh, ripe blackberries.  The 15 year old Oban is a Highland scotch which carries through on the spicy, fig harmony but adds a little honey and whisp of smoke. The lovely Glenlivet Nadurra from Speyside provides a slightly lighter, fruitier malt with spice notes of anise and ginger.

Nutty Piave Vecchio Cheese with 14 Year Old Clynelish

This cow's millk cheese from the Piave River Valley region of Belluno, Italy is aged for one year and described as having almond and tropical fruit flavors. Piave Vecchio is a dense, hard cheese that goes well with white fruits such as apples or pears and is splendid when paired with the 14 year old Clynelish scotch from the Highlands. Clynelish has a crisp and light fruitiness that is sympatico with the nutty sweetness of this cheese.

Nutty Spanish Manchego Cheese with The Balvenie's 17 Year Old Madeira Cask or Glenmorangie's Sonnalta PX 12 Year Old

This Spanish classic is a semi-hard sheep's milk cheese with a slightly briny but absolutely nutty flavor.  It is traditionally served as a tapa with a slice of quince paste placed directly on top the piece of the cheese.  The quince is essential to this pairing as no other fruit compares.  In keeping with these signature Mediterranean flavors, try The Balvenie 17 year old Madeira Cask scotch from the Speyside region.  The subtle Madeira finish and fruit notes of this scotch balance beautifully with the Manchego and quince.  Equally matched are the flavors of the Pedro Ximenez sherry cask finish of Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX, a wonderful new expression from the Highlands region.

Sweet Rembrandt Gouda Cheese Paired With Highland Park 18 Year Old

This semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Holland has distinct spots of crystallized protein presenting an interesting texture on your tongue.  It delights with honey and butterscotch notes with a slight saltiness and sharpness.  It is said to have the caramel finish of an aged whisky.  No wonder it goes so well with the 18 year old Highland Park scotch. From the Island of Orkney this malt has the perfect balance of toffee sweetness and smokey finish.  Add pecans to the mix for a truly harmonious pairing.

Nutty Gruyere Cheese Paired  With Auchentoshan Three Wood

Gruyere is named for the Swiss village from whence this cow's milk cheese originated.  It is semi-soft and a bit grainy in its texture with rich buttery and nutty hazelnut flavors.  While this cheese is most well known for its performance in fondue, it is absolutely wonderful on its own.  Here hazelnuts are the flavor theme, served either alone or in a roasted hazelnut bread as an accompaniment.  Auchentoshan Three Wood is a Lowland malt with persistent sherry and whisps of smoke.  It is a rich and expressive whisky with layers of orange peel, liquorice, cassis and or course toasted hazelnut flavor notes.

Pungent Colston Bassett Stilton Cheese Paired with Ardbeg Uigeadail or for a tamer alternative mate with Glenfarclas 17 Year old or other fruity scotches

Nicknamed "King of Blues", this is one of England's finest stiltons.  This cow's milk cheese is thick, deliciously pungent and wonderfully salty. For an adventurous taste experience, Ardbeg Uigeadail has the oomph to stand up to a stilton's aggressive flavors. From the Islay region this scotch has seemingly never-ending layers of peat, raisins, subtle sherry, hints of caramel and a slight medicinal note, all intense but balanced in this rich and smokey dram.  Raspberries are the unexpected flavor mate. Your grateful palate will be surprised by this exciting taste trifecta.

If you prefer a less peaty dram, then switch flavor gears entirely and opt for a fruity whisky such as a Glenfarclas 17 year old.  It may be the raspberry influence but either of these combos are equally divine.

Where to purchase:

1.  Many thanks to Rebecca and all the gals at Venissimo Cheese shop in Del Mar, California.  The cheese products mentioned here are available through their store or online:  http://www.venissimo.com.

2.  Read more about each scotch or purchase through our online partner "The Whisky Shop" by clinking the name below:

Oban 15 year old

Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old

Clynelish 14 year old

The Balvenie 17 year old Madeira cask

Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX

Highland Park 18 year old

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Ardbeg Uigeadail

Glenfarclas 17 year old

3.  Academia Barilla Spicy Fig Compote can be found at Sur La Table stores or from their own On-line Store:  http://www.shop.academiabarilla.com/index.php/eshop/product/Academia-Barilla-Spicy-Fig-Compote.html?a=/1/pid/39/frmCatID/1626/

4.  Quince Paste can be found in local gourmet food stores or "google" for several online resources.

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