Distillery Visit / Dalmore

The Dalmore distillery and its range of single malts are held in high regard by whisky drinkers and collectors alike. Sitting in a gorgeous location on the shores of the Cromarty Firth and looking across to the Black Isle, this north Highland distillery is currently closed to the public. 

The reason - a combination of the recent Covid pandemic and forthcoming planned extension work that will see the production capacity doubled. We were delighted to receive an invite to visit last November.

________

 

Dalmore was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson and is located in the small Highland town of Alness, which is around 35 minutes drive north of Inverness. The name translates from the local Gaelic as 'big meadow' and the water used in production is taken from the nearby Loch Morie. This flows the 10 miles from the loch to the distillery via the River Averon.

Review / Dalmore 2007 Vintage & 2003 Vintage

This pair of whiskies are the latest new limited editions from the north Highland distillery of Dalmore. The Dalmore 2003 Vintage (pictured, above left) and 2007 Vintage (pictured, above right) represent the second bottlings in the Dalmore Vintage Collection. Both whiskies have been created from casks hand-selected by pioneering whisky maker Gregg Glass and Richard Paterson OBE, Master Blender for Dalmore.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (January 13, 2107)

Welcome to the first Inbox of 2017.  For those new to WFE, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Dalmore 21 years old

This Dalmore 21 years old single malt is a new expression from the north Highland distillery that in conjunction with the 30 years old, which released at the same time, showcases some of their older stocks.  The limited edition whisky has been crafted using casks hand selected by Richard Paterson, the Master Distiller for Dalmore, who has just celebrated his 45th anniversary in the whisky industry.  The liquid included has been matured in American white oak before being finished in first-fill ex-Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks from the famous Gonzalez Byass bodega in Jerez, Spain.

Review - Dalmore The Distillery Exclusive 2015

The north Highland distillery of Dalmore have released a limited edition whisky that is exclusively available at their visitor centre in Alness. The Distillery Exclusive 2015 has been created by the Dalmore's Master Distiller Richard Paterson and he has constructed the whisky from a combination of single malts matured in ex-Madeira, ex-Moscatel and ex-Port casks. These have then been finished in first fill ex-bourbon casks for a short period. The Distillery Exclusive has been bottled at 48% ABV and there are just 450 bottles, which will cost £150 each.

Inbox - November 8, 2013

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - July 19, 2013

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Have just tried - Lochlan 8 Year Old

About a year ago a rather mysterious blended whisky appeared on the shelf of my local Tesco. Looking rather dapper for a sub £20 bottle of whisky, the design appealed to my more shallow instincts and so a couple of months ago I decided to pick up a bottle on one of my shopping trips. Lochlan is an 8 year old blend. It says on the back label that is consists of malt and grain whiskies that have been carefully selected by Richard Paterson.

New release - Mackinlay's 'The Journey'

Whyte & Mackay have recreated a second edition of their popular Mackinlay's whisky.  This new version is called Mackinlay's The Journey and was launched back in Autumn 2012 in New York, although it was only officially released and available to buy this Spring. The original Shackleton Blend was released in early 2011.  It was a recreation of whisky which had been specially created for Shackleton's failed expedition to the Antarctic in 1907/08.  It had been found by explorers in a hut used by Shackleton's team as a base, and had laid undiscovered under the ice for a century.

Inbox - January 25, 2013

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - November 2, 2012

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.  Here is the news that has attracted our attention this week ...

Inbox > September 23, 2011

After last week's bumper holiday induced double issue, Inbox is back in to its regular Friday routine. For those of you that are new to Whisky For Everyone, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has recently found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. So, what's landed this week?

Bowmore > Launch Great Outdoors workshops & photo competition

The oldest Islay distillery has again teamed up with The National Geographic Society to launch a new photographic competition.  The International Photography Contest forms part of a long term partnership between the two organisations.

To celebrate the launch of the competition, Bowmore has teamed up with renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior and The Whisky Shop - the UK's largest specialist whisky retail chain - by announcing a series of Great Outdoors workshops.  The workshops will take place at four of the chain's stores - York (30 Sept), Birmingham (6 Oct), Edinburgh Victoria St (7 Oct) and London (11 Oct) - and in each one Colin will give tips and advice about taking landscape photographs, plus sample some of the Bowmore range of single malts with guests.  The events are free and places can be booked by contacting the stores directly - store details can be found on www.whiskyshop.com. Please note that the London event is already fully booked.  The International Photography Contest is open to all budding photographers and can be entered by clicking here.  The closing date is 31 October.

Dalmore > Sell bottle for £125,000

Richard's lost his bottle

A bottle of whisky which was released from Dalmore Master Blender Richard Paterson's private collection has been sold for a record retail price.  The Dalmore 62 was originally released in 2002 and consisted of just 12 bottles, which sold for £25,000 each.  However, Richard kept one and 10 years later presented it to Changi Airport in Singapore, where it has just sold for a staggering £125,000.  The whisky, which contains some exceedingly old single malts including one dating back to 1868, was transferred from Richard's original bottle in to a new bespoke hand blown crystal decanter for the sale.  It was presented in a hand made lacquered wooden case. As the whisky's creator, Richard Paterson commented, “The Dalmore 62 is legendary. In the space of 10 years it is has grown in value and is worth five times the original price, verifying the luxury credentials of The Dalmore, and confirming that whisky is an investment worth making.”

Glenglassaugh > Select a 'Chosen Few'

Stuart, Ronnie & Chosen Few No.1

The independently owned distillery of Glenglassaugh, located on the north east Highland coast near Portsoy, has asked its staff to select a forthcoming range of single malts.  The range named the Chosen Few will consist of 10 single cask releases, each of which have been specially selected by 10 members of Glenglassaugh staff.  They will be released periodically over the next 2-3 years and carry each persons name. The honour of the first Chosen Few release goes to Ronnie Routledge, the Customer Account Manager (pictured on the right with MD Stuart Nickerson).  He selected a sherry butt from 1976, which has yielded 654 bottles at a cask strength of 49.6% ABV and has a recommended retail price of £299.99.  It can be found in specialist whisky retailers or via the shop at www.glenglassaugh.com.

Glenglassaugh are also trying to complete the renovation of their new visitor centre facility. This is to get some tours in to coincide with the release of their first single malt under the new ownership, which took over in 2008. This release is planned for the en of 2011. At present the distillery can be toured but only on a pre-booked basis and it is hoped that that the new centre will bring much needed tourism to the localarea.

Macallan > 60 years old released

Riveting stuff

The famous Speyside distillery has announced the release of one of its rarest and oldest ever single malt whiskies.  The release sees Macallan continue their association with the iconic French crystal house Lalique, who have specially designed an extraordinary decanter for it. The design is inspired by the riveted entry hatch on Macallan's small stills.  The whisky is 60 years old and has been drawn from just five sherry oak casks, which were filled on the 9th and 10th of November 1950, and has a remarkable alcoholic strength of 53.2% ABV given its age.  There are just 400 individually numbered decanters, which are presented in a lacquered case with collector's booklet and will cost £13,000/$20,000.  Check out the video below, which shows some of the production and design processes.



Pure Festival > Whisky & music come to London

Just a quick final note to remind anyone in or around London that our good friends at the popular whisky social network Whisky Connosr, Jean-Luc and Pierre, are holding an exciting whisky and music festival over the weekend.  They have teamed up with promoters Brand New Music to create the event, which will be held at The Relentless Garage (opposite Highbury & Islington tube station).  The music will be supplied by such acts as The Raveonettes,  James Yorkston and Electric Soft Parade.  The whisky brands involved include Ardbeg, AnCnoc, Cooley, Dewar's and Whyte & Mackay, with whisky writer Dominic Roskrow holding tastings also.  Tickets are £28.50 each for each day and this includes vouchers for eight drams or cocktails and access to all of the music.  Please visit www.purefestival.com to book your tickets or you can pay on the door.

New releases > Mackinlay's Shackleton Whisky

It is rare that something truly unique comes along in the whisky world these days - Shackleton's Whisky (or Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky to give its full name) is one such thing. Whyte & Mackay have recreated a whisky that has been buried under the ice of Antarctica for a century! The original whisky was produced by Edinburgh based blending company Charles Mackinlay & Co and was specially commissioned by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton for his ill fated expedition to the South Pole in 1907. Charles Mackinlay & Co had a long successful history of blending between its foundation in 1847 and being acquired by and eventually amalgamated in to Whyte & Mackay in the 1990s. This included building the Glen Mhor distillery (pronounced glen-vor) in the north Highlands in 1892.

The company's Master Blender, Richard Paterson, has taken eight weeks to blend and marry the new whisky in order to achieve an exact replica of the original whisky. The abandoned whisky, still in the original wooden crates, was not discovered until 2007 and only recently three of the bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay's headquarters in Scotland by private jet. Here, Paterson analysed it and set about recreating a whisky that was over 100 years old. This includes using some whisky from Charles Mackinlay & Co's Glen Mhor distillery, which is now extremely rare as it was closed in 1983 and demolished three years later. The original bottles are to be returned to The Antarctic Heritage Trust and replaced back under the ice by law.

The replica Mackinlay's Shackleton whisky has just been released and retails at £100, with 5% of the proceeds going to the New Zealand based charity who maintain part of Antarctica and who found the original crates of whisky. It has been bottled at the original's strength of 47.3% ABV and a 'limited' 50,000 bottles have been produced. The packaging for this new whisky has also been replicated to be as original as possible, including imperfections in the glass of the bottle and wooden box! The series of events, from the discovery through to the blending process and release, has been recorded and will be released as a documentary by The National Geographic Society later in the year.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is pale golden yellow. The nose is clean, attractive and elegant but needs time in the glass to fully reveal itself. There are a number of subtle aromas that are asking for your attention here and not one overpowers another - vanilla, butterscotch, plenty of green pear and apple, walnuts, baked oat biscuits, wood spice, burnt sugar, hints of tropical mango and pineapple and a whiff of dry, slightly musty peat smoke. It is intriguing and makes you want to take a sip. On the palate, this goes through three distinct phases. Firstly, there is tangy sweetness (think of citrus, especially orange zest, and honey), followed by a creamy feeling richness (imagine butterscotch or toffee) and finishing with a hit of peat smoke and warming wood spice (cinnamon and nutmeg especially). Other notes are present and add depth and complexity to an already enjoyable palate - burnt sugar, something mineral and flinty, a hint of ginger and the green fruit are again there but more stewed in flavour than the nose suggested. The smokiness is stronger on the palate than expected and this carries through to a long, lingering and very pleasant finish. The spice, especially the ginger, grips your taste buds as does the tannic oak and tangy sweetness. Delicious.

What's the verdict?
Shackleton's Whisky is a lovely dram that offers not just a unique back story, but also something unique in its flavour profile. The combination of tangy citrus-like notes and soft peat smoke is rare and the marriage works very well here. The flavours present also indicate that the rumours of Highland whiskies previously being made in a smoky style could be true. Naturally, we will have to take everyone's word that it is a perfect replication of the original, but all we say is this - it is a really good dram in its own right and should be treated as such, almost ignoring all the story and histrionics.

Inbox > April 8, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox was born! It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. Here is this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy!
______________________________________________________________
The Chivas Regal Cannes Experience
Chivas Regal, the premium blended whisky brand, has announced an extension to its sponsorship of the iconic Cannes Film Festival. This will be the third year that it will be an official partner of the festival, which will be staged for the 64th time this year. To celebrate, Chivas are offering a VIP trip for you and three friends to Cannes. The winner will have a whistle stop 24 hour experience that includes return flights, tickets to a movie premiere including walking along the red carpet, meeting stars, entry to an exclusive after-show party, luxurious accommodation and dinner at a top restaurant in Cannes. To enter, simply go to the Chivas Regal Facebook page. Good luck!

Spirit of Unity > A unique whisky to help earthquake victims
A group of seven independent Scottish distilleries have collaborated to create a unique whisky that will generate vital funds for the Japanese and New Zealand earthquake relief work. Each of the seven – Arran, Benriach, Bladnoch, Glendronach, Glengyle, Kilchoman and Springbank – have donated a single cask of whisky, which have been blended together to create a limited edition named Spirit of Unity. The bottle and container (pictured, left) has also been donated free of charge by Chesapeake Branded Packaging. There are only 2,000 bottles, with 1,200 being sold in the UK market through two nominated retailers – Royal Mile Whiskies and Loch Fyne Whiskies – at £59 each (plus postage). The remaining 800 bottles will be sent to Japan and New Zealand, where they will be sold. Every penny of the sales will go to the relief efforts in the two countries and this will total almost £120,000. Spirit of Unity can be pre-ordered from UK retailers’ websites.

Whyte & Mackay > Recreate 100 year old whisky
Whisky company Whyte & Mackay have recreated a whisky that has been buried under the ice of Antarctica for a century. The company's Master Blender, the legendary Richard Paterson, has taken eight weeks to blend and marry the new whisky in order to achieve an exact replica of the original whisky. This original was produced by MacKinlay's and was left by Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton on a failed expedition to the South Pole in the early 1900s. It was not discovered until 2007 and only recently three of the bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay's headquarters in Scotland, where Richard Paterson analysed the whisky. The originals are to be returned to the ice but the new version will be available shortly.

The replica Shackleton whisky will retail at £100, with 5% of the proceeds going to the New Zealand based charity who maintain part of Antarctica and who found the original crates of whisky. It has been bottled at the original's strength of 47.3% ABV and 50,000 bottles have been produced. The packaging for this new whisky has also been replicated to be as original as possible, including imperfections in the glass and wooden box! The whole series of events, from the discovery through to the blending process, has been recorded and will be released as a documentary by The National Geographic Society later in the year.

New releases > Dalmore Castle Leod

Dalmore is a distillery that is located in the northern Highland town of Alness and was founded in 1839 by Alexander Matheson. It is currently owned by the famous whisky name of Whyte & Mackay, which is now a subsidiary of the Indian owned company United Spirits. The company own the famous Whyte & Mackay blended brand, as well as the distilleries of Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin. United Spirits took over in 2007 and have since re-branded the Dalmore whisky range and packaging. Dalmore has an annual production capacity of around four million litres and has long been renowned for their use of high quality sherry casks during maturation.

Castle Leod is the home of the Chief of the MacKenzie clan and is located near the town of Strathpeffer. This lies to the north of Inverness in the northern Highlands and was famous in Victorian times for the healing properties of its natural spring waters. The castle is just 14 miles from Dalmore and the MacKenzie family once owned the distillery. The association can also be seen in the fact that both have the Royal stag's head as their symbol. The current castle was built in 1606 on the site of an ancient Pictish fort. It is built of local red sandstone and has walls as thick as eight feet thick (2.4 metres) in places.

This whisky has been bottled and released by Whyte & Mackay to celebrate the long association with the Mackenzie family and to help raise money for much needed renovation work at Castle Leod, which features on the packaging. The Dalmore Castle Leod is limited to just 5,000 bottles and should retail at around the £100 mark in specialist whisky retailers. The whisky was distilled in 1995 and has spent the majority of its time maturing in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, before transferring for the last 18 months to red wine casks. These casks had previously held Cabernet Sauvignon wine and were sourced from a Premier Cru vineyard in the Bordeaux region of France.

Our tasting notes
The colour of Castle Leod is a rich, dark amber and the nose is rich and powerful with plenty of expressive, almost exaggerated aromas. There are initial notes of caramel, treacle and robust malted barley grains, which are joined by a strong orange citrus aroma (think of candied orange peel and marmalade). More subtle notes of honey and vanilla are detectable, before distinct fruity red wine aromas come through (imagine red fruit and woody, tannic spices). On the palate, this feels viscous, oily and rich with plenty of dark sugar/treacle/molasses notes to begin with. Then come tangy citrus flavours (think of orange peel or orange oil), lots of tannic drying wood spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg), some burnt cereals and dark dried fruits (especially raisins, figs and prunes). In the background are hints of dark chocolate and espresso coffee. The whisky grips to your palate, with the vibrant red wine tannins and dry woody spices lingering long in to the finish. The finish is complex and starts with initial sweetness then moving through burnt sugar/caramel to tangy orange and finally those tannic, dry spices.

What's the verdict?
Dalmore's Castle Leod is a good example of a wine cask finished whisky, although it may be too overpowering and rich for some. If you like this style of whisky with its exaggerated, almost heavy, aromas and flavours then you need to search this one out and give it a go. The whisky's limited numbers and Dalmore's high profile will mean that this sells quickly, so if don't waste time if you want a bottle.

Have just tried ... Whyte & Mackay 40 years old

Whyte & Mackay is one of the world's best known whisky companies. It was founded in Glasgow in 1844 by whisky merchants James Whyte and Charles Mackay and by the late 19th century their popularity was growing rapidly. Whyte and Mackay's first blended whisky, named 'Special', had been a great success upon its release in the UK and this success spread around the globe with the expansion of the Victorian Empire. Whyte & Mackay are currently owned by the Indian beverage company United Breweries Group, after they purchased the distilleries and brands in May 2007.

The current Whyte & Mackay portfolio includes four whisky distilleries - Dalmore, Fettercairn, Jura and Tamnavulin - as well as the Whyte & Mackay blended whisky range, which includes a modern version of the original 'Special' and aged blends at 13, 19, 22, 30 and 40 years of age. They also own the Glayva whisky liqueur and Vladivar vodka brands. Whyte & Mackay currently export single malts or blended whiskies to almost every country in the world.

We were lucky enough to try this 40 years old Whyte & Mackay blend at a recent event - we thank Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay's legendary Master Blender, for this sample as you don't often get the chance to taste whiskies of this age. Richard created this blend to commemorate the service that John McIlraith gave to Whyte & Mackay. He worked for the company for 70 years and worked as a blender, then a salesman before working his way up to Managing Director. It is the oldest blended whisky to be released by the company. Richard has used a high single malt content in this blend (70% with the other 30% being grain whisky) and they were distilled in June 1966. There are only 1000 bottles released, each at 45% ABV and all personally signed by Richard. The price, if you can still find a bottle, should be around £550.

The colour is a dark, rich amber brown and the nose is fragrant, intense and complex. There is an immediate hit of malty cereal grains and this is quickly joined by dark luscious dried fruit (think of raisins and candied orange peel especially), sweet butterscotch, some wood spices (imagine cinnamon and nutmeg) and something woody and waxy that is reminiscent of a wax furniture polish. On the palate, this whisky is rich, sweet and velvety. There is again a lot of dried fruit (the orange zest is particularly prominent) and sweetness (this is more like caramel this time). These are combined with other more subtle notes - spices (think of cinnamon, nutmeg and just a touch of ginger), toasted oats, nuts (imagine hazelnuts), dark wood and a hint of liquorice and clove. The finish is rich, complex and mellow and the whisky is very easy to drink and enjoyable. Thanks to Richard again for the opportunity to sample this 40 years old - it is a lovely, deeply complex and well balanced whisky.

In conversation with ... Richard Paterson, Whyte & Mackay Master Blender

Last week we had the pleasure of meeting Richard Paterson at an event that was about matching Scotch whisky and Indian food in London. It was a busy evening that included some television filming, tasting some excellent whisky and food combinations and general fun. In between all of that, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk to Richard for a few minutes and chat about a number of subjects.

Richard Paterson is one of the legendary figures in the world whisky industry. He is Master Blender for the Whyte & Mackay company, who are one of Scotland's leading producers and distributors of whisky - they own a number of Scottish single malt distilleries including Dalmore and Jura, as well as releasing their popular range of blended whiskies. He became the Master Blender at Whyte & Mackay at the age of 26, making him one of Scotland's youngest. Richard is now not just the Master Blender but also a global ambassador for the Whyte & Mackay brand, Scotland and whisky in general! In addition, Richard writes an excellent and informative blog called The Master Blender and he can be followed on social networking site Twitter under the name @the_nose.

Richard began by explaining about his role and the Whyte & Mackay brand. Whyte & Mackay currently export whisky to near every country in the world and their current focus is on the new markets and economies that are opening up (eg. India, Taiwan, China and South America - all of which he has visited recently). In these markets, Richard has found that consumers are desperate to learn about whisky and he feels that his job is to explain the basics in simple terms. Common subjects include the difference between single malt whiskies and blends, breaking down peoples perceptions of whisky and instructing how to nose and taste whisky correctly. Richard said that he must "make whisky come alive" and try to get consumers to see whisky for what it really is by using their senses. In hot climates, people struggle to imagine the cold, damp locations of the distilleries where whisky is made and he has to convey this so that they take the most from the whisky and the experience.

Richard then went on to describe the way that he selects casks for blending and the slightly unconventional age statements on the Whyte & Mackay range of blended whiskies. He stated that his years of experience have now led to him automatically knowing what casks will produce good whisky. For example, he regularly visits Spain to select sherry casks from a number of bodegas and chooses them by the type of wood and by simply tasting the sherry that has been maturing in them. Whyte & Mackay currently have many types of wood cask developing, with some only suitable for single malt releases and others specifically for blending.

The Whyte & Mackay blended range have a number of releases at unconventional ages (eg. 13, 19 and 22 years old). Richard explained that this was because himself and the company believe in releasing whisky when it is ready and that this may not be at the conventional ages such as 10, 12, 18 or 21 years of age. He used the Whyte & Mackay 19 years old blend as an example - here he selects whiskies with a range of ages, of which the youngest is 18 years old. This blend has 25 component parts including a high percentage of Highland single malts, some Speyside single malts to soften the blend and grain whisky, mostly from the Invergordon grain distillery. The whiskies are blended and then left to marry and settle together for a further year. This results in the youngest whisky now being 19 years old, hence the age statement on the bottle.

Finally, the subject of the food and whisky matching was discussed. Richard spoke generally to begin with when he stressed the importance of taking your time. Firstly, take some food and wait a short time before taking some whisky in to your mouth. This will re-invigorate the flavours of the food and then wait again before taking some more whisky. The result is the full effect of the food and whisky, as your mouth has become used to the alcohol with the first taste of whisky. He then went on to speak about Indian food and whisky specifically and explained that both elements should compliment each other with one not overpowering the other. He is always looking for perfect combinations and said that the spiciness of the savoury Indian food served and the sweetness of the desserts would perfectly match the richness, subtle spiciness and sweetness of his Whyte & Mackay whiskies.

The conversation had to end as Richard had to go and film but we thank him for the time that he gave us. He is a charismatic character who has an infectious enthusiasm for the Whyte & Mackay brand and whisky in general. If you have ever met him or ever get to meet him, you will know or see for yourselves! It was an education and as Richard says in his own words "when you stop learning, you are finished!" We couldn't agree more!

Scotch whisky and Indian food - a match made in heaven?

The matching of whisky with food is certainly not a new idea (just ask anyone from one of the major whisky producing countries!) but the subject has been well covered recently in the various related blogs, websites and magazines that we follow. Many people have the perception that the two should or can only be enjoyed seperately, unlike other drinks such as wine. With an increasing amount of people writing about, cooking with and combining the flavours of food and whisky, we felt that it was necessary to try it for ourselves.

We were lucky enough to sample this experience when we were invited to The Cinnamon Club, which is located in central London close to Westminster Abbey. The Cinnamon Club offers contemporary cuisine that takes traditional Indian cooking techniques and ingredients and combines them with European inspired ideas and designs plus high quality local produce. The evening was hosted by Richard Paterson, the legendary Master Distiller from Whyte & Mackay and Vivek Singh, the Executive Chef of The Cinnamon Club restuarant. The event was being filmed for UK and Indian based television channels and was an introduction to the idea of matching two of India's great passions - food and whisky - for the upcoming religious festival of Diwali. We were even interviewed about our thoughts on the evening and this will broadcast as part of the show, so you may see us make our TV debut very soon!

Richard used the Whyte & Mackay blended whisky range during the event and Vivek had prepared a selection of small Indian street snacks, both savoury and sweet. They began by explaining the basics behind the idea of matching food and whisky from their points of view. Both agreed that the principle was to create harmony so that the food did not overpower the whisky and vice versa. The two elements should compliment each other with neither the food or the whisky burning your palate. Therefore, Vivek's food was not too spicy and Richard selected whiskies that had an alcohol strength of no higher than 45% ABV.

The savoury dishes that Vivek had prepared were tasted and matched first. Chicken tikka was paired with Whyte & Mackay 22 years old and the smoky, charred flavours that the chicken had picked up from the tandoor oven were complimented well by the sweet and spicy palate of the whisky. Then beetroot mini fritters and an onion salad were paired with the younger Whyte & Mackay 13 years old. The spicier nature of the two dishes were noted by Richard as being balanced by the delicate softness and sweetness present in the whisky.

The sweet dishes - ladoo (a sweet chickpea ball) and kulfi (a frozen reduced buffalo milk dessert covered in crushed pistachio nuts) - were combined with the Whyte & Mackay 30 years old blended whisky. This is the whisky that this week has won the Best Blended Whisky section at the prestigious International Spirits Challenge. The whisky has rich caramel, dried fruit (think of raisins and candied peel especially) and woody spice aromas that carry through on to the palate and combine with toffee and further spice (almost like cloves, but couldn't quite place it). The combination, especially with the delicious kulfi was great with the characteristics from the whisky bringing out the subtle grassy notes in the dessert.

The evening was an eye opening experience. As a result, we have decided that we will pursue and write about other genres of food being matched with whisky in the future. The combinations between the superb Whyte & Mackay whiskies presented by Richard Paterson and Vivek Singh's fantastic and tasty food worked very well. So, next time you are eating Indian food or other spicy food, why not try a whisky instead of beer or wine?