Whisky & food

Salmon from cool waters, oysters from an offshore island, beef from the northwest coast: Tasmania's cuisine offers plenty of ingredients to pair with every whisky the island produces. Eating here, you won't have to search long for the right whisky.

Fresh salmon, lightly smoked, pairs well with a mild malt like the Lark Classic Cask. The smoke from the fish is mirrored in the cask. It doesn't compete with it.

Oysters from Bruny Island are served raw, with a splash of lemon. Alongside a peated Belgrove Peated Rye, they work surprisingly well. The saltiness of the oyster meets the saltiness of the coastal peat, both from the same corner of the island, just a few kilometres apart.

With beef from the Cape Grim coast in the northwest, known for its pasture-raised cattle, a bolder whisky like Overeem Port Cask is worth reaching for. The sweetness and tannic edge of the port cask holds its own against the intense meat. It doesn't get lost in it.

Pyengana cheddar from the island's northeast matures into something robust and slightly sharp. It pairs well with a whisky from French oak like the Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask. The wine notes of the cask complement the cheese rather than overpowering it.

To finish, Tasmanian leatherwood honey from the island's rainforest works beautifully, spooned neat or drizzled over some of the cheese, alongside one last small sip of the same whisky served with the main course. The sweetness of the honey pulls the fruit notes in the glass forward once more.