There is some controversy about pairing whisky with food - many people feel it taints both, but The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival seems to think it’s ok (I saw the story in The Publican online ). They are running a competition for chefs to demonstrate some innovative Speyside / food combinations.

I am a fan of some pairings - I enjoy a dram alongside haggis and dark chocolate can be an excellent after-dinner accompaniment, but I would like to experiment a bit more - there are a number of combinations of food and whisky that I haven’t tried yet. Some that are supposed to be good but haven’t tried include:

• big Islay plus blue cheese (Lagavulin plus rocquefort?)
• something like a Dalmore with gamey meat (Venison / hare)
• a speyside (or Japanese whisky!) with Japanese food
• a hot, spicy dish with any whisky that can hold its own