The perfect match for sushi

I'm guessing Bruichladdich unpeated, so the Laddie classic or the 10 (old version) might go well. Maybe a young Old Pulteney?

If you go with wasabi, maybe Bowmore Tempest.

@Nozinan I think Old Pulteney would be too malty and Tempest too strong. The problem I have is that I am looking for a whisky that I would not normally be interested by. I find that light whiskies are pairing nicely with food.

As an example, even if I am a fan of Islay with smoked salmon, I prefer Benriach Septendicim with it. Maybe I should try an Islay tamed with water. You know how much I hate to put water in my whisky when they are already at a low ABV. A light Cambeltown would work, but I never encountered a light Cambeltown. Anyway, I am rambling and still looking for the perfect match.

I said on another thread recently but I like it with Ardbeg, especially the salmon.

@RianC Springbank 12 CS might go well. I don't mind bolder whiskies, but then again, I rarely pair whisky with a meal.

Throw out the sushi and fire up a big ol’ ribeye!

But seriously, what about something light like Glenlivet 15 or even, dare I say it, an Auchentoshan?

@OdysseusUnbound I'll see your Livet 15 and raise you 1, maybe a Nadurra (16YO)?

I agree with your suggestion. Fire up the grill!

I recommend Hakushu 12yo or the NAS. The 12yo has a nice hint of peat, but nothing that would overpower the sushi. It also has a nice freshness to it, with citrus and pear to it. While the NAS has an even more freshness to it, with white fruits, apple (sweet) and pear. I think it has less of a smokiness, definitely no peat to it, like the 12yo. I think the NAS would allow you to enjoy the subtle flavors of the sushi/sashimi, or what ever you end up eating.

I should have added, I enjoyed the NAS Hakushu while eating sushi, when I took my trips to Tokyo in 2016. But then again, I also enjoyed drinking tea with my sushi as well.

@ajjarrett, I think that you are absolutely right: Hakushu 12 would be great with sushi.

@ajjarrett - 9/10 times I'd have green tea with sushi/sashimi.

I can well imagine Japanese whiskies working very well actually. Good tip!

@ajjarrett Thank you for the suggestion. I never had any Hakushu as it is not available in my neck of the wood but I will look for it. You understand what I am looking for, something that will allow the subtle flavors of sushi/sashimi to express themselves. I usually take some green tea or some Genmaicha tea with sushi and from time to time I like Sake, but I want to explore the world of whisky and find that pairing it with food is a good way to appreciate new whiskies.

Staying on theme, I was having a glass of Cambeltown Lock 21 yo yesterday and find that, even if it has a light sherry note to it, it would do the job for the sushi with that hot sweet brown sauce like Dragon's eye or smoked eel (Unagi). It has an herbal note and a saltiness to it that make it works IMHO and it is soft enough (I wouldn't say light). It would even works with a clam in sashimi if you get one with a nice pink part as long as you take the scotch after the clam.

@Robert99 - I am only recently dabbling with pairing whisky with food (before i became besotted with the brown stuff I enjoyed matching wines with food - but, I hope, not in a snobby way!) but can offer another suggestion away from Sushi fwiw.

It's not exactly groundbreaking and very traditional but whisky with Haggis works really well. Particularly a spicy sherried whisky like Aberlour. I'll be indulging come Burn's night but I really don't need an excuse to eat haggis or any offal for that matter. Liver (chicken) and mushrooms (shiitake) also work well in this way.

@RianC Unfortunately I never had haggis and wouldn't know where to find it. I saw it on a cooking program but didn't write the name of the restaurant preparing it. I hope to go to Scotland one day and have a good one.

@Robert99 - Yes I suppose it is harder to get over there. Home/craft made is always better but they sell a brand called Macsween here in some supermarkets that is fairly decent. Maybe they sell it in more boutique food places?

I have to giggle at the thought of haggis being a 'luxury' item though

In it's absence, if I may? - I recommend chicken liver, diced pancetta/bacon bits and shiitake mushrooms pan fried with a little cream to make a sauce, all poured over 'nips and tatties' (Potatoes and swede all mashed together) with a whisky. Heck, you could add some to the sauce if you liked . . .

Lovely!

@Robert99 @RianC

It's great to bring up the topic of pairing food with whisk(e)y, or whisk(e)y with food (in this case). It isn't always easy to do. I still have some trouble thinking of whisk(e)y, as a drink I associate with while eating a meal. This is mainly because the way I drink and appreciate whisky I don't want it to mingle with other flavors. However, I guess when it comes to pairing it with food you leave behind the 'appreciation' and move closer (not completely to) enjoyment. It is unfortunate that the Hakushu 12 or NAS isn't available in your area. I would also suggest that because any whisk(e)y that has matured in the Japanese Oak (Mizunara) have a very 'unique' flavor, I would personally wouldn't drink those types while eating sushi/sashimi. The delicate flavors of the sushi/sashimi would be masked. At least that is what I think, others might disagree.

A vlogger (assuming that is a word) on Youtube who does her best to pair foods with whisk(e)y, whom I enjoy watching is Rosemary Moon. She and her husband just moved to the Orkneys, so she hasn't put out too many recent videos. She hasn't got into sushi, but at least she does disuss the topic of pairing whiskies and food.

I gotta like the post from @ajjarrett just for the correct use of "whom"!

@MadSingleMalt Thank you!

@Robert99 Oh yes, I forgot to comment of your reference of Genmaicha. I love that stuff. Roasted brown rice with green tea, is an excellent combination. I brought back a few packets of it from my trip to Tokyo this summer. Duty free prices for it is quite reasonable. ha

@ajjarrett Thank you for your answer, I will certainly look for the videos from Rosemary Moon. I am a lot like you when it comes to appreciate whisky, I don't want the flavors to mingle with any food. But, as I was saying previously, I am convince that I need light whisky for any pairing with food. This is not the kind of whisky I go for, therefore I find in this pairing exploration a way to get me interested in lighter whisky. Drinking whisky on its own, will stay my favor way of drinking it.

I don't have a lot of experience with Japanese whisky (Hibiki 17, Taketsuru 17 and Yoichi 10 are those I remember fondly) but I know Hibiki have been aged in Mizunara cask, at least a part of it. I would not be able to define the flavors of Mizunara oak the way I can describe the flavors imparted by a cask of French oak from the Vosges. How would you describes those flavors?

When it comes down to it, I eat too quickly. I prefer a relaxing after dinner dram.

It may well be an English/British thing but whisky with a cup of tea (or a 'brew') can be a fine pairing.

Irish works best for me or a blend.

@Robert99 - I am also a bit tentative when it comes to pairing whisky for the same reasons you mention but am becoming to realise that while something in the whisky is lost, something in the overall experience is gained.

@Robert99 Great thread topic, pairing whisky and food can be tricky but when it works well it is very rewarding. I hesitate to eat too much when doing a whisky tasting specifically because it's more about the drams consumed but when looking for a total combined result as @RianC said it is more about the whole experience.

@ajjarrett Good call on the Hakushu 12, it's a really well crafted but subtle dram. I believe the citrus,pears and light pine like peat of it would work well with sushi or even some lightly cured fish.

@Robert99 the only occasion where I attempted sushi paired with whisky was at a club meeting and we we're drinking Nikka Taketsuru NAS and Port Charlotte Islay Barley, both worked very well to my surprise I thought the whiskys would overtake the sushi but it was very harmonious.

thumbs up on the tea choices as well. I have tried some really good teas recently that reminded me a lot of whiskys. A local tea salon Camelia Sinensis even has a tea and whisky pairing workshop. camellia-sinensis.com/en/tea-workshop/…