Pairing Single Malt and Cigar

Pairing Single Malt and Cigar is easier than you would think. Cigars are put in to three main categories: Mild, Medium and Full bodied. You can easily do the same with whisky.

The simple but important rule is that you find a pair which doesn't try to over power each other. If you pour dram of your best 15yo oak cask MacAllan and pair it with Montecristo Nro 2, the poor whisky has no chance. Your first drag of the Cigar will kill and eliminate everything of the whisky.

But if you choose something similar in power. Like Hoyo de Monterey Corona you'll be surprised how well they blend together. Both have Chocolate, nuts and woodines as part of main characteristics. The flavor will blend in your mouth to something that dreams are made of.

Recommended pairings:
MILD to MEDIUM -----------MacAllan 10yo - Hoyo de Monterey (Corona)
MEDIUM ---------------------Glenfiddich 18yo - Romeo & Julieta (Pelicosos)
MEDIUM to FULL -----------Talisker 10yo - Montecristo Nro 2
FULL BODY ------------------Lagavulin 16yo - Partagas serie D nro 4

Whisky Sauce with peppered beef

For the peppered beef do as you have always done. It is important that the beef is as you like it.

For the new potatoes I recommend butter and chives.

I don't think that Whisky is as natural cooking ingredient as Brandy but it is still if correctly used absolutely divine. In Scotland you can get marmalade's, mustard's, spreads and sauces and pretty much anything with whisky but I believe it is best served in sauce.

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 50ml whiskey
• 1/2 tsp of balsamic vinegar
• 150ml double cream
• black pepper
• Salt

Method:
1. Pour whisky into sauce pan and set it light (this burns some of the alcohol and gets rid of any bitterness)
2. Pour in the cream and seasoning.
3. Put half a spoonful of good quality balsamic vinegar to support the whisky flavor.

Let simmer till consistency is to your taste.

Serve and enjoy

Highlander Inn at Craigellachie

On my resent visit to heartland of my favourite past time I spent two nights in Whisky bar called Highlander Inn. We rented a car (Qashqai) and drove up and down Spayside.

The Highlander Inn is in the centre of the village of Craigellachie it has a bar manager called Tatsuya Minagawa, a Japanese man who's knowledge about Whisky is on league of its own, even at Spayside. He's easily approachable and keen to pass his wisdom. We got in to conversation about adding drop of water in to Single Malt. He was quite clear about it.

Champagne is enjoyed chilled, red vine is enjoyed room temperature, coffee with milk and sugar. From this is easy to conclude that there is a method of drinking. With Whisky the method is adding water.

So what does the water do? There are chemists who can explain numbers and formulas, lecture on reactions. When drinking Whisky what really matters is what makes it taste better, and that is drop of water. For those who are interested about the chemistry, see google for details.

Anyone planning holiday to Speyside I truly recommend visit to Highlander Inn. Not least because it boasts a menu of 700 Whiskys.