Whisky and tobacco (or chocolate, or ...)

I love to smoke a pipe packed with a sweet virginia flake when im drinking whisky. Right now im smoking the 2006 McClellands Christmast Cheer with a dram of Oban 14. I find good tobacco compliments whisky better than most things I've tried. Chocolate is a notable exception. There isn't much better than dark chocolate and a peppery highland. Does anybody else have any favorite things that go with whisky?

Colin

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ColinL
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ColinL schrieb:

Dark Lindt-chocolate with a cask strength Speyside dram. That's great! Or - try a fruitcake with Linkwood. Also very nice for Sunday afternoon.

Andreas

Reply to
Andreas Gugau

Andreas Gugau schrieb:

Just forgot - take a cake of dried fruits.

Andreas

Reply to
Andreas Gugau

i've had nice experiences with the dark chocolate Toblerone and just about any Macallan.

Reply to
disavowed

Reply to
Howard

Hi Colin!

I try hard not to limit my enjoyment of whisky to any set protocol. I do follow strict protocol when nosing and tasting whisky for the first time or to document the nose and taste profile. I relax a bit when it comes to just enjoying a good dram of fine whisky. I have enjoyed whisky with chocolate for after dinner. I also like the smokey-peaty whiskies with good smoked cheeses and fresh baked breads. I've been known to secretly marinade my grilled salmon fillet in Lagavulin or Talisker to add a little more flavor. I don't smoke so I can't comment to that. Ultimately, I experiment with good whisky and food much as I would with good wine. Each whisky has a somewhat unique taste and so they tend to go well with certain foods but not all.

I do find that sampling whisky after the meal can impart certain negative tastes if the match isn't good. Brushing one's teeth after the meal and later having a drink can also add taste profiles that, while not negative, certainly would not be there if one starts with a neutral palate. So the journey for me is strict protocol to get to know a whisky and generous experimentation for pure enjoyment.

I suppose after this confession a certain amount of condemnation is in order. I will except wide scathing criticism from the group while enjoying a nice dram of Lagavulin 16 and thinking about that ensuing pulled pork barbecue sandwich with a good smoked cheddar cheese on sour dough bread.

Regards,

Daniel

Reply to
Daniel

I usually pour a dram later in the evening, long enough after eating that my palate clears up from a sweet dessert.

When comparing new bottles, I prefer to sample 3-4 at a time, using a bit of mild cheddar and some bland crackers or pretzels to clear the palate between sips. Once I've made my tasting notes, I relax and finish the drams without the palate cleaners. This often reveals some additional complexity along with changing nose as the more volatile components leave the glass.

Reply to
mdavis

MDavis, Do you water at all? When tasting, I've started watering everything that stings my nose after drinking half the dram at full strength. It's a new practice for me, even though I've always read about doing it. I'd love it if you'd submit some of your notes to my site. It's a public whisky tasting notes and review site. So few poeple keep their own notes!

Colin.

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Reply to
ColinL

I do keep some very sketchy notes in a database. Since my bottles range from 40, 43, 46 abv to cask strength, I do use a small amount of water during initial tasting.

As a chemist, I was a bit skeptical that water would bring out additional complexities in a dram. But I learned otherwise. My initial logic was that the 40/43 abv stuff was watered anyway, so there was no chemical reaction taking place. What I now think happens is that additional water causes some turbidity in the glass which displaces organics (ester, phenols, etc.) at different rates, which in turn causes different mixtures to reach the nose as the water gradually mixes more thoroughly with the whisky.

I will nose the 3-4 drams, neat, whatever strength they may be initially. Then the 40/43's get a very few drops (perhaps 5-10 drops) of water and the glass is nosed carefully as notes are taken. Often the water uncovers some additional aromas that were covered up by the alcohol of the original dram, especially in cask strength drams. Cask strength drams get small splashes of water progressively until they no longer display a change in character. I would guess my final abv for all drams to reach around 35 to 40 for final consumption.

I will admit to being relatively new at evaluating single malts. As a long time wine drinker and lover of "good" beer, I have added SMs to my list of interest. I currently have about 40 bottles in my stock and my tasting list isn't much over 50, so I'm a newbie. I also lack a good source of adding interesting SMs to my list tasting list, and do not have a good bar anywhere near. Alas, I do the best I can.

Reply to
mdavis

You might poke around:

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and look at the 2006 awards.

Reply to
fookoo

Welcome. Where are you located?

-- Larry

Reply to
pltrgyst

I live in the SW corner of Missouri, so my closest stores of any size and stock are in Kansas City, Springfield and (if I ever find a good store) Tulsa OK.

Reply to
mdavis

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