Whisky Emporium

Whisky & Chocolate...

Most of us appreciate fine chocolate and by the fact that you're visiting this website, I assume you appreciate good whisky too, but can a combination of whisky and chocolate really work? Can these flavours really harmonise rather than one overpowering the other in a gungy cacao mess? I think so, as do various attendees of my recent tastings who had the pleasure of sampling not only some fine drams, but also some of the highest quality chocolates which one could say, were also rather on the unusual side!

Intrigued? Then read on as I attempt to push the boundaries of taste experience further forward by matching master distillers with master chocolatiers.

Slàinte Mhath

Keith Wood

My No. 1 or main partner for chocolate is Frau Franz, of;

A note from the author; for the best experience one should savour the chocolate(s) and whisky 2-3 seconds apart, not together in the mouth.

Masterclass by Whisky Emporium, chocolates by Franz, Domori & Hachez November 2009;

Adendum to November Masterclass; This masterclass comprised six whiskies, not three as originally reported, but three of the whisky & chocolate pairings didn't quite work out as I expected, so I omitted them from the initial notes. I have now revisited the pairings and found better matches, so the last three whiskies are finally being added.

Nose: malt with very slight aniseed followed by aromatic currants and raisins.

Palate: Rich creamy toffee gradually opening with slightly toasted marzipan and currants with hints of marshmallow.

Teyuna by Domori

Elegant, bitter-sweet, cashew nuts and a touch of honey make a perfect partner for this Longmorn.

Nose: My initial thoughts were of wood, but this soon turned quite fruity with pears, nuts, hints of rubber, Rosemary and an autumnal lawn. Pretty much appearing in that same order too.

Palate: Immediate vanilla ice cream quickly sparkling across the palate with raisins, marzipan, a little bread dough and just a hint of toasted orange.

Il Blend by Domori

Hints of honey, caramel and tobacco combined with the richness of the Springbank 15 to create a very good combination.

Nose: Freshly caught shellfish on an Atlantic beach, then served with ripe green apples.

Palate: Much bigger and more solid than the nose suggests. Liquorice and light ginger toffee.

Overall Impression: A very maritime nose turns into a rather very solid dram filled with promise. Excellent!

Sur del Lago by Domori

Wow, something quite magical just happened; A soft, rounded experience with the best traits of each component, but suddenly appearing as one. I think the 'magical' element here was the very slight coffee flavour of the Sur del Lago.

Kilkerran, 'Work in Progress' 5y, bottled 2009, 46% ABV

Nose: Good solid hiking boots on an Atlantic jetty. Pardon? This is definitely a maritime malt with salt, sea air, beach, Scottish jetty and rugged, quality leather. All overlaid with hints of slightly bitter, exotic fruit.

Palate: Smooth and rounded fruit cocktail comprising mainly apple, star-fruit. melon, mango and perhaps a little vanilla ice cream.

Fleur de Sel praline by Franz

The maritime style of the Kilkerran combined with the Fleur de Sel was again a brilliant combination.

Hazelburn, 12y, (released / bought 2009), 46% ABV

Nose: Old oak, currants, dates & figs

Palate: Wonderfully smooth and building gradually to encompass the palate with those dark fruits, wood, a little molasses (but not overly sweet) and a faint hint of orange.

Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba 'Orange'

An excellent combination with the orange in the chocolate enhancing the overall flavours of the Hazelburn.

Glen Elgin, 12y, 43% ABV

Nose: Initial mossy notes, then slightly more floral, almost perfumed but with a background hint of swimming pool.

Palate: Creamy, fresh hay with slight ginger.

Ginger Praline by Franz

Another excellent combination where this very versatile ginger praline enhanced the great flavours of the Glen Elgin, making for a richer, more intense experience.

Masterclass by Whisky Emporium, chocolates by Franz October 2009;

Milton Duff, 12y, 43%, late 1980's bottling with green label and tube

Nose: Malt and some fresh herbs, with an emphasis on the freshness.

Palate: Delightfully soft and smooth with some very gentle hints of creamy toffee. Thankfully, the finish is really quite long and persistent; in fact I would be happy for it to stay around all day long!

Lavendar praline by Franz

Combination: Sublime! The herbs, toffee & lavendar merge into perfection on the palate as the finish is lengthened even more.

Premier Malts, Clynelish, 32y, distilled 1971, cask 2704, 54.2%

Nose: Very floral with hints of liquoroce and malt

Palate: Deliciously smooth with an immediate nutty fruity tingle. This is extremely intense and the rich flavours of nut and fruit (apricot / peach) last almost forever on the front middle of the tongue.

Olive Oil truffle by Franz

Combination: Excellent! The olive oil flavour enhances the rich flavours of the Clynelish with absolute finesse.

Glen Garioch, 8y, 43%, old 1980's bottling with cream label & brown tube

Nose: Hay, grass and perfumed malt

Palate: Smooth and warming with slightly perfumed, flowery toffee which is very short on the first sip, but stays much longer on the second.

Honey & Thyme praline by Franz

Combination: Excellent! The honey worked wonders with the smooth toffee flavours, with the thyme appearing to enhance the aftertaste.

Glenallachie, sherry cask, distilled 1989, bottled 2008, 18y, 57.1%

Nose: Toasted raisins on an open camp fire.

Palate: Rich raisins coated in marzipan which linger forever.

Ginger praline by Franz

Combination: Wonderful! The ginger added an extra, slightly spicy dimension to this extremely good, sherried Glenallachie.

G&M Lochside, old 'White Map' label, distilled 1981, bottled 1996, 40%

Nose: Butterscotch, barley and marzipan (almond) with the slightest hint of aniseed.

Palate: Smooth and warming on the tongue with a delightful butterscotch flavour slowly giving way to the almonds.

Balsamico & Caramel praline by Franz

Combination: Excellent! Butterscotch, barley & marzipan soothed and caressed by luxurious caramel with a hint of balsamico delighting the palate's aftertaste.

Port Ellen, 'Second Annual Release' bottle No. 1141, 59.35%

Nose: Linseed, Scottish sea air, grass and straw

Palate: Very smooth and surprisingly sweet with a herbal aftertaste.

Fleur de Sel praline by Franz

Combination: Sublime! The slight saltiness merges with the herbs, straw and sea-air of this Port Ellen to create an even more intense maritime experience.

A Glenfiddich & Chocolate Masterclass by Alois Immoos, including Glenfiddich 21y, 15y Solera Reserve, 18y & 30y

Munich whisky festival (Interwhisky) February 2009

Glenfiddich 21y

Nose: Heather, vanilla and melon-flavour ice cream

Palate: No heather, but the vanilla and slightly bitter melon-flavour ice cream are there.

Chocolate: This was matched by Alois with a truffle and then with some very pure, bitter chocolate.
With the truffle the combination was quite bitter. With the pure chocolate the chocolate was too overpowering.
Sorry, but much better without the chocolate.

Glenfiddich 15y Solera Reserve

Nose: Fresh oak, herbs and kiwi fruit

Palate: New oak and quite a dry impression

With water: The kiwi fruit joins the oak on the palate.

With Chocolate: The chocolate was a dark, quite bitter example (Marrakaibo 65% cacao), but this combination worked well. One of the best Glenfiddich / chocolate combinations of the day.

Glenfiddich 18y

Nose: Slightly smoky, leather and pears

Palate: Watery (thin) and quite short finish. Pears and malt.

With 68% cacao chocolate: Alone, the chocolate was quite bitter, but together they harmonised into a fruity and pleasant surprise.
With 48% cacao chcocolate: OK, but not as good as 68%.

Glenfiddich 30y

Nose: Dark chocolate, ginger and raisins

Palate: Very smooth and gentle, but quite short. Very nice soft raisins.

With chocolate: The offered chocolate was again quite bitter and far too strong for the Glenfiddich. However, I went back to a truffle originally offered with the 21y and this combination of G30 with a truffle was a good combination.

Overall Impression of Master Class: This class was led by Alois Immoos of a leading Swiss chocolate company and yes, this was fine chocolate, but most of the combinations just didn't work.
Whisky & chocolate can work in combination, but they have to be better matched than these were and perhaps more account be taken of the whisky, rather than just showing how good the chocolate is.