Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

A Guide on How to Pair Scotch and Cheese

Mark Stock
By
Scotch and cheese.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

When classic couples come to mind, Scotch and cheese don’t always make the list. Instead, we tend to focus on spaghetti and Chianti, coffee and donuts, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Well, whether you’re doing it wrong or simply haven’t had the pleasure of trying, Scotland’s lauded spirit and a good wedge of cheese do actually work wonders together. But you have to nail the selections.

Related Reading

Whisky buffs have long appreciated a good complementary cheese. Scotch, in particular, is built for the task, as it tends to be both layered and smoky. Those two characteristics can be enhanced with the right cheese and in turn, the cheese can take on fascinating new notes. That’s what great pairings do—they work in symbiosis.

An Introduction to Scotch and Cheese Pairings

A great introduction to this great duet is The Glendronach 12-Year and aged cheddar. ReserveBar is running a special pairing as we speak. It matches the sherry cask-finished Scotch with cheese from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company in California. The cheese is sharp yet creamy, with a sweetness that builds off of the whisky’s richness and dark fruit characteristics. The cheese even seems to activate the spicy tail end of the Scotch. It’s a match made in heaven but certainly not the only one of its kind.

Lagavulin 8-Year and Stilton

This pairing is all about like-minded funkiness. The pungency of the English blue cheese plays off of the smokiness and briny nature of the Scotch. This particular age Lagavulin offers some citrus, too, along with a hit of chocolate and char, ideal with the cheese. The thought with Stilton has always been port as the premiere pairing but the right Scotch can link up just as nicely, if not more so.

Laphroaig 10-Year and Smoked Brie

There’s not much on the planet like a good Islay Scotch. This exceptional option is anything but shy and builds off of the boldness of smoked brie. There’s smoke for smoke and the whisky’s vegetal, seaweed and umami notes bring the cheese to life. Even if this style of Scotch is not for you, there’s a good chance it will be in the company of this cheese. The spirit and the snack bring out the best in each other. If you can’t get a good brie (or smoke one yourself) a smoked cheddar or gruyere will serve well, too.

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Year and Camembert

If you want a pairing that’s a little less aggressive, this one is for you. It emphasizes the smooth fruit and floral notes of the Scotch, giving a slightly candied quality thanks to the rum cask finish. The Camembert cheese is quite the match, like brie but even creamier and a bit cleaner on the palate.

Tips for Pairing Cheese with Scotch

cheese wheels stacked on top of each other with a bunch of grapes hanging off them.
Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

Here are a few items to consider when pairing your favorite whiskey or bourbon. Once you have some of the basics down, you can expand into other cheeses and test out what goes good and what doesn’t.

  1. Expand into other whiskey categories (rye, bourbon, Japanese, etc.) and comb through the many offerings of your local cheese shop or supermarket selection.
  2. Pair in terms of intensity. Think stinky cheese with a really peaty Scotch, for example, or a Manchego with a lighter bourbon.
  3. The best piece of advice? Don’t be afraid of a little trial and error. You can always stop nibbling on a failed pairing. But the ones that really work will bring joy to your palate.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Stock
Mark Stock
Contributor
Mark Stock is a writer from Portland, Oregon. He fell into wine during the Recession and has been fixated on the stuff since…
Learn how to master the Coquito cocktail with these great recipes
Want to drink like they do in Puerto Rico? Mix up a Coquito, or little coconut, with these great recipes
Coquito Cocktail

In Puerto Rico, the Coquito reigns supreme. The cocktail, which translates to little coconut, is a go-to around the holidays but delicious all year long. It's an ideal drink for rum, rich, tropical, and inherently festive.

Yes, it's a major deal come Christmastime. But really, this sweet and creamy drink is great anytime you feel like dessert in a glass, whether it's as a great nightcap drink or post-meal dessert sipper. Simply put, if you gravitate towards eggnog, you're going to fall for this Puerto Rican classic.

Read more
A chef’s guide to making the perfect Korean fried chicken
Chef Sol Han of NYC's innovative Little Mad shares his best fried chicken tips and tricks

Delivered fresh in takeout boxes or served alongside frosty beer at bustling restaurants, fried chicken is a national obsession in Korea. Historically, chicken consumption was rare in South Korea, and it wasn't until the 1980s that Korean fried chicken became popular. While Korean fried chicken has similarities to Southern fried chicken, the Korean version is way more diverse in both flavor and variety.

Interested in cooking Korean fried chicken in the comfort of your own home? Here to lend The Manual some expert tips and techniques is Chef Sol Han of Little Mad, an innovative and modern Korean restaurant in New York City. While making fried chicken at home might seem intimidating, the finished product is well worth the adventure. You can reward yourself with the cold beer to pair it with.
Tips to make your Korean fried chicken even better
Chef Sol Han of Little Mad in New York City. Moonhee-Kim
Seasoning the chicken
Chef Han likes to brine his chicken overnight in a 3 percent salt-to-water ratio. One unique twist he likes is to marinate his chicken in dashi stock or white soy, a type of soy sauce with a lighter and sweeter flavor than dark soy sauce. However, if brined, the chicken must dry out on a rack before being dredged in flour.
Frying the chicken
In Korean fried chicken, flour is often replaced with potato starch or corn starch. The use of starches, especially potato, gives the finished crust a less greasy, and pleasing white color. A pinch of baking powder added to the starch will also help increase crispiness. But do not substitute baking soda. The chicken will have an unpleasant alkaline aftertaste. Chef Han likes to dredge his chicken in seasoned flour consisting of salt, black pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.

Read more
How to perfect the Penicillin cocktail, according to an expert
A modern classic, this cocktail will help you feel better in more ways than one
penicillin

 

From Carthusian monks distilling herbal elixirs to frontier doctors employing whiskey as an anesthetic, alcohol has always had close ties to medicine. Modern invalids will still ask their bartender for a hot toddy when they're feeling down, and plenty of people swear by the curative properties of their favorite cocktail. Even your cough syrup has a little hooch in it. But whether you’re after a remedy for what ails you or just a cure for the common cocktail, the Penicillin is good medicine. 

Read more