In addition to my regular single malt favourites, I add a blended whisky to my tasting schedule to spice things up now and again. Last year, this led me to the Black Grouse whisky, which I loved and I paired with some spicy Indian food. On reading up about the Grouse brand, I noted that they made a Naked Grouse blended Scotch whisky.
Going past a well-stocked Woolworths is a treat, and last week I found a Fairview Blue Tower cheese. Pairing whisky and blue cheese is usually a match made in heaven, and I wanted to explore more of these pairing options.
WordPress has a feature where it shows you what search terms lead people to your blog. The one thing that astounds me is that the most search term is Wild Reeds whiskey and Schoonspruit whiskey. These are not well-known whisky in South Africa. The Wild Reeds bourbon cask is also my most read article on the blog.
I have quite a few bottles from William Grant & Sons. My whisky collection started with a bottle or two from The Balvenie, and I added some Glenfiddich as I went along. Monkey Shoulder blended malt whisky is a favourite, and I was delighted to get my hands on a Kininvie 17 yo. All these brands are part of the William Grant stable.
I keep my eyes open for whisky from non-traditional whisky-producing countries. As delicious as whiskies from Scotland and Ireland are, it is even more exciting to find whisky from a non-traditional country like Spain or India. Like this DYC 8 year old blended whisky.
I love my regular whisky and cheese pairing sessions. It usually takes place on a Saturday afternoon, and I try a wide range of whiskies with interesting cheeses. Many of the whiskies in my collection are limited editions and not readily available, which makes our tastings exciting but also challenging.