Dish and whisky: what are the best pairings?

Particularly when it comes to rare and limited editions, whisky brands don't hesitate to call on chefs to showcase their creations. Recently, Thomas Graham ( Mermoz) and Kei Kobayashi ( Kei restaurant) took part in the exercise, one for Mortlach, the other for a limited edition of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. An opportunity to take a closer look at the possible pairings between gastronomy and whiskies, and the reality of such a proposal in the restaurant.

Just a stone's throw from Place Vendôme, in the hushed ambience of a late-night bar, contrasting with the scorching sunshine of a September afternoon, hand-picked guestsare about to embark on an immersive gastronomic experience, imagined by top Parisian chef Kei Kobayashi (4 Gault & Millau toques). For Diageo (the British spirits giant), it's the world premiere of a new creation, Blue Label Elusive Umami. A balancing act, around this 5ᵉ taste, a little mysterious, difficult to qualify, which serves as a common thread to this blend and a tasting of dishes designed by the chef in harmony with this exceptional whisky.

Whisky at the table, a winning bet

During the presentation, alongside the chef and Emma Walker, the house's first female master blender, Nicolas Julhès, spirits connoisseur and creator of La Distillerie de Paris, acted as tasting guide. He believes in whisky at the table.
"Every time I work with chefs and they propose such a pairing in their restaurant, as part of a partnership with a brand, it's a hit. But at the end of the operation, they stop because, in fact, it's not part of their culture, or even the sommelier culture". But it's also in the spirits world that gastronomic culture is lacking, often reduced to media events and partnerships.

"Suggesting gastronomic pairings is not usual in the whisky world," admits Emma Walker,"but we're starting to make this space our own. We're learning. For us, it's also a way of showing that whisky can be enjoyed in different scenarios. Not just at the end of the evening. For example, I love drinking a highball (whisky with sparkling water) with a curry, because it's both complex and refreshing. Persuading people to try a Scotch highball with a curry is a personal battle for me! For chefs Kei Kobayashi and Thomas Graham, designing dishes to pair with whiskies is a challenge that requires a few rules.

What dish should whisky be paired with?

"Whisky is strong, and for a chef, it's complicated", concedes chef Thomas Graham, who managed to find just the right pairings for the Mortlach house at a small-scale dinner party: tagliatelle of raw cuttlefish topped with a chorizo cream, the necessary fat to gently welcome the Mortlach 12 ans, and a tataki of red tuna Ikejimé tuna tataki with green pepper, accompanied by a pea mousse (halfway between a soup and a mousse) with lovage for the 16 ans. "The thread linking this dish to the whisky is lovage," he explains. A herbaceous plant whose main aromatic compound is sotolon, also found in maple syrup and... curry. Here we go again!

For dessert, he imagined a"panini press" dark chocolate mille-feuille, into which he inserted pieces of quince fermented like black garlic, forgetting it in his kitchen for a few years. "The taste of passing time". The phrase comes from Nicolas Julhès, and it sums up the pairings that work, often based on aging, refining, roasting... most often conservation techniques.

"For this menu around umami, I immediately thought of something smoky, and cooking methods", says the Japanese chef,"Something pan-fried, grilled or fried. Itcould be steamed, but with something smoky inside. Otherwise, the spicy side works very well too." Proof of this can be found in a few very successful pairings, such as hay-smoked lobster, miso-lacquered pigeon and a savory Japanese curry, which are complemented, but not overpowered, by the elegant Élusive Umami, neither too sweet nor too exuberant. "Whisky loves umami, a mix of certain types of acids and proteins, because it's a flavor enhancer," continues Nicolas Julhès. "Thegreat thing about this spirits culture is that with just a tiny centilitre from a bottle like Élusive Umami or - even rarer - the Mortlach 30 ans (300 bottles worldwide), we can offer people an exceptional moment, - which is impossible to do with a Romanée Conti -, and thanks to this accord crystallize a memory".