How These Distilleries Are Pairing Food and Whiskey

Typically, discerning connoisseurs pair their food with wine or beer. But as I learned from Jason Parker, the first head brewer for Pike Brewing Company and Copperworks Distilling Company, pairing whiskey with food can create new sensory experiences. He conveyed to me how to pair his American Single Malts with food using the “3 Cs” concept of pairing food with alcohol, which he learned from Pike co-founder Charles Finkel.

Using this concept, a diner chooses a beer, wine, cider or spirit that will cut, complement or contrast with their meal. Cutting involves choosing a drink that will clear the palate by breaking up a strong flavor so it isn’t as one-dimensional. Additionally, a drink can complement food by highlighting a particular flavor in the dish. Contrasting a drink with a dish illuminates the differences between two flavors, such as savory and sweet.

For example, Browne Family Spirits’ (Spokane, WA) pairing of its locally sourced, limited-edition spirits demonstrates these 3 Cs in action.

Do Epic Shit Bourbon and wood-fired grilled steak: The sweetness of the bourbon and citrus complements the smokiness of the steak.

Forest Project Single Malt and a cheese board: To contrast the earthiness of the Single Malt Whiskey, pick rich cheeses like creamy Camemberts or strong cheeses like sharp mature cheddars.

Straight Bourbon and smoked salmon: The lightness of the bourbon complements and enhances the flavor of the salmon, providing a slightly fruity and spicy sensation.

Straight Rye and apple pie: The sweetness of the apple pie cuts, or balances, the spicy notes of the rye.

The following are curated selections from Pacific Northwest distillers that demonstrate the myriad ways one can pair whiskey with food.

2BAR Spirits (Seattle, WA)

Recently, 2BAR Spirits co-hosted a bourbon and cheese pairing with Rachel Lucas, a.k.a. The Cheese Lady. At this tasting, all the cheeses were paired with a 2BAR Bourbon expression. Sonie Watson, Distiller & Bourbon Educator, notes how the spirit cuts through the fat and brings about a balance, both to the bourbon and cheese, when paired correctly, allowing each to shine and highlight different flavor notes. She cites an example of their 2Bar Straight Bourbon Highball with Scottish Highland Tain Cheddar. The cheese’s mild grassy, creamy notes and subtle tanginess were a pleasing contrast to the cocktail’s refreshing qualities for a simple and satisfying taste. Also, they paired their 2BAR Bottled in bond 100 proof with Black Sheep honey vanilla cheese. Here, the delicate cheese with a creamy sweetness crosses well with the robust warmth and complexity of the spiced honey note from the high-proof bourbon.

Aimsir Distilling (Portland, OR)

Aimsir’s Portland Cold Brew Bourbon finds its way into the most unique pairings. This 88-proof coffee-forward-bourbon brings inspiration to Nan Chaison and Gabriella Martinez, co-owners of Libre, a women-owned space described on their website as a place “where freedom bleeds from Mezcal cocktails to mole desserts.” Chaison combines Cold Brew Bourbon with mole syrup, Benedictine, mezcal and a dollop of freshly whipped vanilla cream. Martinez compliments the Cold Brew Bourbon cocktail with a rich sesame mole creme brûlée topped with bone marrow caramel ice cream, citrus crema and chocolate tuile. Together, these flavors linger on the palate for a long finish.

Freeland Spirits (Portland, OR)

For those looking for a decadent whiskey and dessert combination, Freeland Spirits’ lead distiller Raymond Muehlman proposes the Manhattan with Averna, a higher-proof cocktail with a lot of kick and depth to match the sweetness. This drink is made with one ounce of their Cask Strength Bourbon, one ounce of their Rye Whiskey, two ounces of Averna, a dash of Peychauds and a dash of Angostura or black walnut bitters. Stir and serve neat with an Amarena cherry garnish. In Muehlman’s estimation, the cask carries lots of jammy Pinot complexities with a certain crisp boozy lightness, and the rye has that gingery spice and ripe banana balance that works well with Averna’s toffee caramel coffee flavors and sweetness that anchor the drink. A chocolate raspberry mousse with whipped cream or Black Forest cake complements the sweet, dark depth while bringing some textured, creamy fats the cocktail will help cut through and wash down.

Macaloney’s Island Distillery (Vancouver, BC)

Whiskey lovers seeking a singular flavor sensation should check out Macaloney’s Sugar Kelp-Infused Peated Single Malt Whisky, the first peated whiskey in the world made using sugar kelp. Iain Hooey, Macaloney’s international whisky ambassador manager, likes to serve this whiskey neat by placing a a few drops on a freshly shucked Kusshi oyster or a scallop. The salinity of the sugar kelp complements the saltiness of the seafood with the smokiness of the peat, adding a smooth complexity to this dish.

Westward Whiskey (Portland, OR)

Lauren Wildman, director of Westward’s Whiskey Club and guest experiences and a former chef, loves to pair the bold flavors of Westward’s whiskey with prosciutto-wrapped peaches drizzled in honey. The peach and honey complement the flavors in the whiskey, and the salty prosciutto offers balance and contrast to the pairing with the whiskey, which Wildman recommends serving neat.

Westland Distillery (Seattle, WA)

Westland Distillery’s Master Tyler Pederson typically pairs neat whiskey with very rich foods such as chocolates, desserts and anything with a high fat content. He also finds that adding water to Westland’s Flagship American Single Malt via an ice cube allows the more subtle notes of the malt to come through and improves the palate experience for the transition from food to spirit.

Pederson cites as one example of a perfect pairing a dinner he made consisting of smoked pork chop, mashed potatoes and braised rainbow chard with apples and bacon. In his opinion, the Flagship whiskey on ice complemented the pork and added some weight to the greens. For the pork, this whiskey added rich spice and orchard fruit notes and a hint of sweetness to temper the smoke and fat. And because the greens had been cooked in the same cast-iron pan that he used for the pork chops and bacon, they had developed a rich smoky and fatty flavor. The lightly diluted alcohol amplified the phenolics of the malt, which paired with the ester notes of apples, apricots and pears, which had him feeling like he was being transported to an orchard for a late summer campfire.

Woodinville Whiskey Co. (Woodinville, WA)

Brett Carlile and Orlin Sorensen, co-founders of Woodinville Whiskey and best friends since college days at Central Washington, smoke the salmon they catch on their annual fishing trips to British Columbia. They pair their catch with a neat pour of their Woodinville Bourbon finished with toasted applewood staves, which is the world’s first bourbon finished with toasted applewood. “The bourbon is a terrific ‘cut’ pairing with the nuanced smoke of the salmon, with its natural unctuousness,” explains Sorensen. They also use applewood in their smokers to finish the salmon, but they only expose the fish to the smoke for an hour or two, as the salmon’s fat content absorbs the smoke flavor very quickly.

Wohlfert Craft Distilling (Snohomish, WA)

John Wohlfert proudly builds on his great grandparents’ legacy as bakers who became moonshiners during Prohibition by infusing their traditional recipe with the distillery’s Starter Sugar Shine. Fermented with grain and cane sugar, this product might not exactly fit the legal definitions of whiskey (which must be made with 100% grain), but it goes down like a very smooth whiskey. Wohlfert suggests complementing Starter Sugar Shine with baked goods like sourdough bread with butter or drizzled with some olive oil and salt, bread pretzels and bratwurst or a slice of German chocolate cake.