Excited and undeterred by the falling temperature of an evening in the last throws of summer, I eagerly made my journey to a new event organised by a good friend. This much anticipated event was described as a whisky party, to be held at his home in a delightful location on the fringes of the Lake District National Park, additionally we were promised dinner.

So far so good! However, along with another friend and invited guest, we had a slight conundrum. Given that the British protocol is to “Bring a bottle” when invited for dinner and being told that the whisky was provided and specifically selected at the behest of our host; our conundrum was do we bring a bottle, just how far does a whisky party go? Presumably a fine bottle of red to accompany the hearty menu would be in order?

Not wanting to appear uncultivated, my friend, with timidity, demanded instruction from our mutual friend and host as to the expected protocol for his event. We were told that the accompaniment to each dinner course would be a whisky, so forget the red!! Although slightly perplexing at the time, it became the start of a journey in the exploration of whisky and food pairing.

Food pairing, or food matching with whisky, is the art of selecting a whisky with a food choice which, when combined, enhances the overall taste of both the food and the whisky.

Over the last few years I have studied this area more and more and my quest has been to find appropriate pairings. It is acknowledged that when whisky is paired with appropriately selected chocolate the mutual complimentary flavours can be delightful. This is not a new concept; some whisky houses produce chocolate to complement their brands.

What about other foods? This is in part the subject of this website, blog and my book. I would love to hear any favourites or recommendations you can share.  So just comment below and share your valuable insights.