By Lee Musho
Expert tips from a Maestro Bacanero, an ambassador for a single malt scotch, and two American whiskey makers on how to best pair their award-winning spirits with cheese.
For too long, wine has dominated the world of pairing. But spirits can unlock a whole new world of bold flavor, especially when paired with the right cheese.
We spoke to several masters of their craft from across the world to explain the complex art of cheese and spirit pairing. They shared their secrets for carefully selecting the perfect balance of flavors – and provided their favorite pairings with us to try ourselves.
This fall, try your hand at matching luxury spirits and cheeses with some help from the guide below.
Pay Attention to the Proof
“The proof of the spirit, aging, and finish all influence the choice of cheese,” says Rodrigo Bojorquez Bours, the founder and master bacanero of Kilinga Bacanora. Before pairing, take note of the proof of the spirit. The higher the proof, the more intense the spirit will be – and the harder to pair.
Ari Sussman, whiskey maker. Whiskey JYPSI agrees: “Proof is the biggest hurdle,” he adds. “A 120-proof whiskey can flatten a delicate cheese, but with a splash of water the whiskey opens up and becomes friendly.”
While you may be able to pair a neat whiskey with a long-aged cheese like 3-year Roomano or an extra-aged Gouda-style cheese, your best bet is usually to proof it down by mixing it with water or using it in a cocktail. This will make it more versatile and open up the pairing possibilities.
Find a Throughline in Flavor
“Cheese and whiskey aren’t obvious partners the way wine and cheese are,” says Sussman. “It can feel like the whiskey is shouting over the cheese. My philosophy is not to force it.” Instead, he advises finding a bridge in flavor that can connect the spirit to the cheese. For example, the minerality in an agave based spirit like Kilinga Bacanora can be complemented by the similar minerality in a Loire Valley goat’s cheese, and the sweetness in a bourbon pairs beautifully with the butterscotch notes of an aged Gouda. “The trick is to match bold flavors with bold flavors,” says Travis Tidwell, the National Brand Ambassador for Ardbeg Single Malt Scotch. You don’t want one component to completely overpower the other.
Don’t Overlook Temperature
“Cheese straight from the fridge is mute,” says Sussman. It makes sense: Cold is a numbing agent, after all. In order to get the full breadth of flavor from your cheese, it’s best to let it come to temp, or sit out of the fridge for up to an hour before digging in. This way, the cheese releases its aroma and settles into its creamy texture. Spirits, meanwhile, are a bit more complicated. Some can benefit from being chilled, while others, you may want to serve warm. “For Kilinga, the cooler it is, the less volatile the alcohol is,” Bours says. He recommends finding the balance between the “grace and elegance” it presents while cool, and the intensity it brings while warm. For him, between 64 and 68 degrees fahrenheit is best.
According to Jamie Seifken, the President of The Cedar Ridge Distillery, “room temperature allows for the fullest flavors.” Tidwell agrees: he notes that the aromas that have developed in cask can be delicate, and room temperature is the ideal serving temperature to appreciate them fully. Try the difference for yourself – see what it’s like to pair a spirit chilled versus room temperature, and see what you prefer.
This is to say: Everyone’s palette is different, and pairing is personal. “The best pairings often happen when you break the rules,” Sussman adds. “If it sounds wrong but you’re curious – try it.”
Try one of the pairings below, recommended by spirit experts from across the world.
Whiskey JYPSI Tribute Double Barreled Bourbon and Vermont Creamery Fresh Goat Log
Made with heirloom grains and aged a minimum of four years in new charred American oak, Whiskey JYPSI Tribute “is layered like a double exposure,” Sussman says. There’s “aromatic corn on one side, deep oak on the other. That balance makes it our most cheese-friendly whiskey.” While he notes that it is able to stand up to a cheddar, soften a blue, or lift a washed rind, the most surprising pairing he recommends is fresh goat cheese. “The brightness contrasts with the corn’s aromatics in a way that feels like campfire meeting fresh air.”
Kilinga Bacanora Silvestre and Murray’s French Double Cream Brie
Kilinga’s Silvestre bottling is unique in that it’s made with young, green agave plants (compared to tequila’s use of mature agave). This gives it a distinct herbal and floral note, and a surprising tartness. Bours of Kilinga recommends pairing it with a young brie accompanied with pine nuts and pistachios – and a drizzle of mesquite honey to call to mind the Sonoran desert. The Silvestre’s dry finish will contrast the richness of the double cream brie, and the herbal and floral notes will play off the sweet, tangy honey and the crunchy richness of the nuts.
Cedar Ridge The QuintEssential American Single Malt Whiskey and Two Sisters Isabella Aged Gouda
Seifken of Cedar Ridge lauds their QuintEssential American Single Malt for its ability to pair with food. The single malt “is a marriage of unique finishing casks from around the world,” Seifken says. Wine and brandy barrels bring an abundance of fruit notes, while the different oak types bring structure and richness. With it, he recommends an aged Gouda, as the nuttiness in the cheese complements their whiskey best.
Whiskey JYPSI Explorer and Cellars at Jasper Hill Cabot Clothbound Cheddar
Whiskey JYPSI Explorer is a blend of two six year aged whiskeys – a sweet low rye distilled in Kentucky and a spicy Indiana high rye. It’s finished with two different oak varieties: French from the forest of Tronçais and American from the Appalachian Mountains. Sussman says that depth of oak flavor pairs perfectly with a clothbound cheddar. The balance of sweetness and spice in Explorer plays off the creaminess of the cheddar, and balances its sharpness.
Ardbeg An Oa Single Malt and Parmigiano Reggiano Five Years
Ardbeg An Oa is a single malt known for its roundness, thanks to its blend of whisky aged in different casks. The use of oak barrels that formerly held spirits like Pedro Ximenez and bourbon add a sweetness to the whisky which Tidwell says works incredibly well with a crystallized cheese that has a nutty and slightly salty characteristic, like a five-year-aged Parmigiano Reggiano.
Ardbeg Ten Years Old Single Malt and Colston Bassett Stilton
Tidwell recommends pairing the intense peat and smoke of Ardbeg Ten Years Old with the bold flavor of Stilton. The whisky has a rich, oily texture with a burst of sweetness on the finish, which works well with the fudgy texture of the blue. You can even try a drizzle of honey – or even hot honey – for another layer of flavor.
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