How Rare Whiskeys Can Enhance Your Meals
Whiskey is an alcoholic drink made through the distillation of fermented grain. This process is traditionally done in large oak casks in order to enhance and maintain the flavour of the whiskey. Rare Whiskeys in particular have been rising in demand in recent years due to their unique flavours and also past. Normally older whiskeys tend to be more expensive due to the fact there are less of that variety that are still in circulation e.g a whisky produced in the early 90s. In this article we will explore why Rare Whiskeys can add flavour and a different twist to a meal or dish and why you should consider looking into purchasing Rare Whiskeys.
Rare Whiskeys And Their Use In Cooking
Within the food and drink industry, Alcohol has always had a role to play in a variety of dishes , accompaniments and meals. Wine and beer and probably the two most popular drinks that go with food well and both can be used during the cooking process to add flavour to a dish or help prepare it for consumption. For example beer battered haddock or venison seared with red wine. Rare Whiskeys are unfortunately overlooked much of the time as not many people realise the flavours that can come from Whiskey or how it can be incorporated into a meal or cooking. One such way in which this can be done is by preparing a traditional Scottish dish known as Cranachan. This is a dish that is normally made with raspberries, honey , oatmeal and cream. It can be enhanced greatly by adding whiskey to change the flavours.
Whiskey Recipe
To prepare this dish you will need the following-
- 2 tablespoons of oatmeal
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2-3 table spoons of scotch whisky
- 350ml of double cream
- 300g of raspberries
First toast the oatmeal till golden after spreading out on a baking tray. Make a raspberry mix by crushing half the raspberries and mix in with a dash of caster sugar. Now whisky the double cream till it sets , after this stir in the honey and whisky. Now add in the oatmeal as well as raspberry and honey and whisky mixes to four separate cups and your dish is complete. The flavours of the Rare Whiskey should complement the cream as well as the raspberry and oatmeal and be quite rich to taste.
What Makes A Whiskey Rare?
Overall there are a number of different factors that contribute to a Whiskey being considered rare and some are not as obvious as you might have assumed. Rare Whiskeys are generally out of circulation fro the Whiskey market and are no longer being produced. Limited edition whiskeys to celebrate anniversaries or other special events tend to hold more value than other Whiskeys. Rare Whiskeys have gone up at auction for up to hundreds of thousands of pounds depending on their rarity. The packaging , overall condition of the bottle and when the whisky was produced all are additional contributing factors to the rarity of some Whiskeys.
A food writer with a passion for classic Americana. Toby specialises in exploring the history, culture, and flavour profiles of traditional diner fare—from stacked pancakes to sizzling burgers.
