The Best Whiskey Food Pairings
With the weather warming up, it’s the perfect time to get your friends together again for those back porch hangouts around the fire. Or maybe you’re trying to show off that crazy NC whiskey collection you’ve curated during the cold winter months. You’ve got the bottles. You’ve got your nosing glasses all polished. But you find yourself stumped on what the hell to pair your North Carolina whiskey with. Chocolate? Cheese? OYSTERS?
Planning the perfect whiskey food pairing for you and your friends doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Whiskey and its many expressions go well with a wide variety of foods (plus, you don’t have to break the bank!)
What Goes well with NC whiskey?
When you want to show off that curated selection of high-brow whiskey you’ve collected over the years, look no further than our suggestions below.
Serving Snacks with Whiskey
Cheeses
Does Whiskey go with Cheese? Short answer: uh, yeah! When we think of cheese, we typically associate it as a choice pairing food with wine. But you might be surprised to find how nicely it accompanies whiskey too. With cheese, the key is to combine flavors that complement each other. Hard cheeses, like parmesan, need a stronger, more robust Single Malt whiskey. Soft cheeses, like brie, pair well with a smooth blended whiskey.
Chocolate
The ultimate sweet tooth satisfier. If you reach for chocolate as your after-dinner treat, try pairing it with whiskey next time. Whiskey beautifully compliments the bitterness of dark chocolate, and if you’re a milk chocolate lover, you’ll find it equally accompanies its smooth, creaminess. Hold the whiskey and chocolate in your mouth together for a full-blown burst of flavor.
Nuts
Nuts are a classic snack pairing when it comes to tasting alcohol or enjoying a cocktail. When you’re tasting whiskey, be sure to pay close attention to the flavor of nuts that will best complement your choice of whiskey. As a rule of thumb, roasted nuts pair well with smoky flavored whiskeys, strong peaty whiskeys pair best with sweeter nuts (pecans, hazelnuts), and bitter nuts (walnuts, brazil nuts) pair best with sweeter whiskeys.
Crackers
This may be the easiest pairing to execute! Snack crackers (for the most part) have a neutral flavor to help cleanse the palate between your drams of whiskey. Shoot for something salty, crunchy, and mild in flavor for the best pairing. Think saltine crackers, Ritz crackers, Rye chips, water crackers, and the like.
Dried Fruit
A selection of dried fruits adds a new texture to help elevate your whiskey tasting. Dried fruits such as raisins, dates, and cranberries are the perfect match for whiskey for their deep, rich flavors and chewy texture. Whiskies with dark fruit profiles are a great combo for sipping alongside your favorite dried fruits. Maybe throw some dried pineapple or mango for a tropical twist on your favorite whiskey.
3 NC Whiskey Food Pairings for Dinner
Maybe you’re looking for the perfect dinner foods to pair with your whiskey. I mean, who doesn’t love a classy dinner party? Below are some of our favorite pairings for the main course of your meal.
Red Meat
Well, this seems kind of obvious, huh? Steak and whiskey are the ideal match made in heaven and can be paired to create a rich meal. If you’re grilling up a fatty cut of steak, such as a ribeye, you’ll need a robust whiskey to cut through the fat and add flavor to the palate. Alternatively, if you’re sticking to a leaner steak like a sirloin, bourbon is a great choice to provide a sweet balance to your steak.
Gamey Meats
Since game meats tend to have rich, smokier flavors, we want to balance that flavor with a whiskey with a touch of bitterness and subtle notes of fruit and smoke. With meats such as roast duck or venison, we aim for a medium-bodied whiskey. We want to have the delicate flavors of the meat compliment the spirit, rather than one overpower the other.
Seafood
While typically, one might not think of pairing seafood with whiskey, we’ve included some unique options to switch it up! For those inclined to have an indulgent night at home, why not pair lobster with your whiskey? Sweeter whiskies, especially those with vanilla profiles, enhance the inherent sweetness of lobster meat. Oysters too can be a fantastic pair for whiskey lovers. The salty, briny flavor of oysters is a great combo when paired with a smoky or peaty whiskey (plus, can bring out the natural richness of the oyster!)
While we gave you a few options for your next pairing, this list is certainly not the be-all and end-all of whiskey & food pairings. Each and every palate is different, so what you end up eating with your spirits is up to you! Our biggest suggestion? Check the label of your bottle! Many distilleries will include a flavor profile on the bottle (or on their website). These flavor profiles can help guide you to create your own unique pairings. Let us know below what your favorite foods to pair with whiskey are!
Try Delicious Nc Whiskey from Our Asheville Distillery
From our oaky American Malt Whiskey to our deliciously smooth Single Malt Whiskey, we make whiskey from locally grown and malted barley at our Asheville distillery. Come in and see us or grab a bottle to try at home!