Whisky & Food

It starts hearty with Maultaschen: Swabian dumplings filled with meat and herbs, often served in clear broth or finished with roasted onions. The finch whisky pairs well here, because its grainy, slightly earthy side doesn't overpower the savory filling but moves right along with it. If you like, dip a piece of Maultasche back into the broth briefly before reaching for the glass, so both flavors meet once more.

Käsespätzle with plenty of fried onions can handle more weight in the glass. This is where Glen Buchenbach from the sherry and port cask shows its strength: the sweet, dark fruit stands up to the cheese without being overwhelmed by the onions.

The circle closes most clearly with Black Forest Cherry Cake. Cherry brandy traditionally goes into both its sponge and its filling, the very same fruit-brandy heritage that distilleries like Wild or Brosamer once came from, before they turned to whisky. Both distilleries knew cherry brandy long before they ever thought about whisky, and that heritage still comes through in the taste today. A glass of Blackforest Wild Whisky Sherry Cask alongside a slice of cake brings that connection right back to the table.

More important than the perfect pairing, in any case, is the order: taste the food first, then the whisky, then both together. That way your own palate tells you what works together and what cancels each other out.

Black Forest ham, too, cured raw and smoky, earns its place on the board next to the glass in this region. Its bold smoke and salt need an equally bold whisky to stand up to it, otherwise its subtlety disappears completely behind the ham.