Why have just two delicious drams, when you can have another two? Exactly. So we did!

The Dalmore 14 year old was reminiscent of a sweet dessert wine or, because of the fruitiness with spicy overtones, Christmas pudding.

The North British 20 year old had us rechecking where this came from: even though it was made in Edinburgh, it was like drinking a bourbon! Yummy through and through.

We recently sampled some of Master Of Malt‘s special single cask bottlings.

First up was the Cragganmore 20 year old (1991): Banoffee pie anyone?! With descriptors like toffee apple and banana loaf being used in the official tasting notes, it’s no wonder my favourite dessert came to mind when drinking this!

Second came the Dailuaine 27 year old (1983), which I see sadly says discontinued on the product page. Such a pity, as this was just lovely – very sweet, but with a delicious spiciness to it. Sugar and spice and all things nice!

I guess I’m more of a whisky snob than I thought… I’m kinda horrified by Scottish Spirits’ new product: whisky in a can.

It just feels wrong. Whisky isn’t beer. Both are good beverages. But different. And are enjoyed differently. Whisky is not meant to be swigged out of a can in the same way that beer often is. Whisky should be slowly sipped and savoured while contemplating the world

Assuming one won’t be gulping down the whole can in one go, I guess one can still pour one’s drams from a can instead of a bottle. But with the product inside only being aged for 3 years (the legal minimum to qualify as whisky) instead of the usual minimum 10 or 12 years maturation that most whiskies go through, you just know that the canned whisky isn’t exactly going to be the good stuff! Plus, aluminium cans do change the taste of soft drinks, albeit subtly (e.g. Coke tastes a bit different in cans compared to glass bottles) – what if the same effect happens with the whisky?

Nope, this isn’t for me. What do you think?

It seems way too early to be thinking about Christmas, doesn’t it?! But with just on two months to go to Christmas day, I’ve started thinking about Christmas presents – not because I’m really organised (though I promise myself every year that *this* will be the year that I get everything on the list bought before I get caught up in manic last-minute crowds again), but more because we have lots of family overseas and I need to get gifts sent off before the last posting dates.

It goes without saying, of course (though I’m totally going to say it anyway!), that whisky is an excellent Christmas gift. We often buy bottles for our fathers as presents, and also sometimes treat each other to a really nice whisky for Christmas. A nice bottle of whisky can be a very thoughtful gift for the right person. After all, quality alcoholic beverages are not cheap, and a bottle of whisky can last a person a fairly long time. While whisky can be enjoyed at any time of the year, having a warming dram at Christmas time while the snow falls outside and the lights twinkle on the tree is a perfect way to relax at the end of the day.

I was very excited to see that Marks & Spencer are offering various Christmas hampers, some of which include whisky. They’re also packed full of other delicious goodies – some great wine, and very yummy sounding goodies, like sweets, cakes, cheese and crackers, and even cooking ingredients. M&S is one of my favourite places to shop, and the quality of their food is always excellent. I may have to treat myself to one of the hampers in addition to buying some for family and friends!

Interested to hear what Keith Law, Diageo’s Master Blender, has to say on the subject of pairing food and whisky? So were we! Without further ado then, here are Keith’s thoughts on the subject:

People have a very divided opinion over pairing food with whisky and most people find it hard to envisage a whisky and food match. Personally, I think a blended scotch whisky can match certain foods and dishes excellently and the array of flavours found in blended whisky can bring out and define a food’s taste.

Many articles about pairing whisky and food talk about single malts, however I like to remind people that blended whiskies offer a perfect alternative.

I feel that people have missed an opportunity not to drink blended whiskies with food mainly because it is something they never thought about trying before. The truth is that blended Scotch whisky when drunk neat or sometimes slightly “longer” than usual with water can make a great alternative to wine and really emphasise the flavours of certain foods and dishes.

Matching whisky with food takes some experimentation and experience to get it right. But if you stick to simple foods it can be a real eye opener.

In general, dishes with extreme flavours that generally do not match easily with some wines work well with blended whisky. Tapas, Asian dishes and particularly seafood combine well with some of the lighter less peaty blends such as Buchanan’s and J&B.

Desserts and after dinner courses work well with blended whisky too. Johnnie Walker Gold Label served “frozen” (at least 24 hours in the freezer please!) can give an indulgent taste sensation when served “straight” with dark chocolate desserts.

To finish off a meal a smoky, rich blend such as Johnnie Walker Black Label goes nicely with a cheese platter.

In the past I have experienced some unusual combinations of blended Scotch whisky and food – How many of you have attended a Burns Supper and saw people pouring some whisky over their Haggis? It just works!

So in many cases choosing foods to match blended Scotch whisky is very much down to personal preference and experimentation is the key. So keep educating your palate and have fun trying out new combinations. Enjoy!

More about Keith:
Master blender Keith Law began his career in the Scotch whisky industry in 1979 when he joined the Quality Control Laboratory at Caledonian Distillery in Edinburgh. Keith’s career began not in malt whisky but in grain whisky, where he worked closely alongside his father at this renowned grain distillery.

A sensory specialist in the whisky industry, Keith spent 12 years as part of the management team at Carsebridge Technical Centre, responsible for quality for all grain distilling and specialised areas of malt distilling. The primary focus of this role was around optimisation of distillery yields, flavour profiles and distillery performance; A large part of this role involved the nosing of new make spirit.

In 2007, with the formation of Diageo’s European Technical Centre, Diageo’s Master Blenders have joined together to become one team. Keith’s role within the technical centre as a Master Blender is varied. He is heavily involved in the development of new whisky products with end to end responsibility from cask selection through to overseeing production of pre-market launch bottlings.

Since joining Diageo, Keith has worked at each of Diageo’s 27 malt distilleries and 2 grain distilleries. His roles have been heavily focused on all aspects of sensory analysis allowing Keith to develop significant insights into flavour creation, blending and a deep understanding of the effects of oak on maturation, cask structure and wood physiology.

After nearly 30 years in the “land of whisky flavour”, Keith is often asked to use his experience by providing Spirit Mastery support to various mentoring programmes within Diageo and is an intrinsic part of a team of the most respected whisky blenders in the world.

Keith originally hails from Edinburgh in Scotland but now lives in the central region near Stirling. In his spare time he enjoys playing rugby, scuba diving and walking through the beautiful scenery of Scotland with his wife and two young daughters.