I would like to start this post by saying first and foremost I am not a whisky officiant. I am not even a whisky lover. I am recently a whisky taster. My husband has introduced me gradually to whisky with only moderate success. Most often the whiskies he is drawn to are more like medicine to me than something I want to sit by the fire and sip. These whiskies are usually clear or nearly so and have a strong taste of iodine. My wonderful spouse and a lot of other whisky connoisseurs would, I am sure, correct that assessment and say that the spirit tastes of peat but since I have never attempted munching on peat I say iodine. In my limited time at tasting whisky I have found a few that I do indeed like. Generally these are fairly smokey and may have an underlying fruitiness to them. It is with these factors in mind that I will tell you about a distiller we were fortunate enough to find about an hour and half outside of Stuttgart in Nellingen in the Schwaibian Highlands just before Bavaria.
We had seen this whisky, Finch by name, being sold locally and decided to seek them out and see what they were all about. We had researched and found that the
Hotel Krone, where the distillery is located, host whisky tasting dinners that included a tour and a four course menu with five tastes of whisky. We were warned that the evening we booked actually was all in German but that didn't scare us away. Knowing a bit about the process of distilling helped us follow most things and were fortunate to have a lovely couple at dinner who translated a few of the finer points to us later.
The tour was what you would expect for the most part. There was a short film about the distiller, the area, and what makes this whisky special. These include the climate of the region, the quality of the grain, the purity of the water and of course the care that the distiller puts into the creation of these spirits. We also toured where the distilling actually occurs with explanations of how simple grain and water create whisky. I
Then came time for the main event. The tasting. Now I have over the years had the good fortune to taste wonderful cuisine from a lot of different places so I was interested to see how a chef was going to pair such a strong flavored drink with food.
The first course, a sauerkraut, potato soup with maple glazed speck, told me immediately that not only could we with whisky pair with food but it could be a marvelous complement just like wine or beer. The first course was surprising and wonderful with layers of flavors that danced from sweet, to sour and with a creaminess that was sublime. The Classic whisky paired beautifully. The crispness of this whisky cut through the creaminess of the soup and highlighted the slight sauerkraut flavor. One down, four to go and if the first course was an indication of how talented the chef was I was doubly excited.
Second course consisted of creamed goat's cheese, pear compote, shiitake mushrooms, lightly pickled radish and a beet salt. Now for some of you these flavors may not sound comparable. I have to say I would never have thought the should go together but they do. I think that has been my biggest ahah moment when it comes to food, there are no rules really. This course was paired with the 6 year old Distiller's Edition. This whisky read a bit more floral to me with an undercurrent of smokiness that was a good addition to the cheese and mushrooms. Okay so I am beginning to really enjoy tasting whisky.
Third course although more pedestrian that the second creativity wise, was fantastically product driven. We were served a duo of Highland Cattle beef. One was slow braised with a jus of caramelized onions, topped with fried shallots, the other was a slow roasted, perhaps sous ve'd sirloin atop a carrot purée. These served next to a light fluffy spatzle with au jus if you desired. This course was accompanied by the Single Malt which is aged 6 years in Port wine barrels. Again, I was blown away by the way the whisky so beautifully complemented the thoughtful dish of food we were presented.
Fourth and final course for dinner was the dessert. To be fair I am aware most chef's are not proficient in pastry and young chefs like to deconstruct which can for me be a bit of a let down. This was true for me in the fourth course. That being said, there were components of the dessert I liked, the ice cream on the plate was terrific, the apple purée was nice but frankly I think a nicely made apple strudel would have done the trick here better than the fancy presentation of it's parts but what do I know? The whisky paired with this was the cask strength. This was by far my least favorite. In fact it sort of upset my stomach. I am not sure if my full tummy was just not able to take anymore or if it was the combination of the whisky and cream I didn't like. This whisky is extremely strong and for me has little going for it besides being strong but as I mentioned I am new at whiskies so it was just not my taste.
After the final course coffee is served and you are also offered a whisky to drink if you like and a taste of the whisky chocolate that they produce. I passed on the whisky as I had had plenty but did enjoy the whisky chocolate very much. It must be savored and not gobbled down to get the whisky flavor and was a nice way to end the evening.
Some notes about this outing....We made a hotel reservation at the Hotel Krone so we didn't have to drive after all of that food and whisky. The hotel is very comfortable and welcomes dogs. Jett enjoyed himself very much. Spending the night is a good idea not only because of the drinking aspect but the fact that it is a long evening. For anyone hoping to be in and out of the meal this isn't for you. We started with the tour at 6:30 pm and we were some of the earliest to leave the table at 11:30 pm. I found the pacing of the meal perfect for if you aren't used to it it can be a bit long.
Another benefit of staying the night is going into Ulm the following morning. See my next post for information on our rainy walk there.
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