«
»

Better than that great bottle of Scotch you got for the holidays?

Well, the gift of a great bottle of Scotch is hard to top, so I’m not even going to try.  “So, why are you writing this post, then?” you may ask.  Well, I’m not going to try to top it, but I’m going to divulge the decadent way that I found to savor a glass of Scotch that I gave to my sweetie for X-Mas — hey, it was understood that he’d be sharing…  The Scotch in question:

Bunnahabhain 12 Year Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey $48.99

Tasting Notes:  like any Islay single malt, this has a smoky-peaty influence, but in this case it is harmonious, expressive yet subtle, and perfectly balanced by the smooth, rich, sweet caramel finish.

The Experience:  sitting on the couch together after a long day of work and a cold drive home, sipping delicious Scotch while enjoying small bites of artisan dark chocolates (that I purchased from the France 44 Cheese Shop, naturally).  Ideally there would also have been a fire crackling in the fireplace and soft jazz playing in the background, but I won’t exxagerate…  The Scotch and the chocolates played off of each other beautifully!  The Scotch brought out the complexities in the chocolates, the chocolates brought out the complexities in the Scotch…  It just got better and better with each little sip and each little bite.  Now, we aren’t talking about Hershey’s, here — comparing these artisan dark chocolates to Hershey’s would not only be sacrilege, but would be like comparing a single malt Scotch to, oh, I don’t know, moonshine sounds a bit extreme…cheap whiskey, ok?  In all, we sampled four different chocolate bars.  As with any pairing, some worked better than others.  The home-run?

Rogue Chocolatier’s “Hispaniola,” (70 % cacao, sourced entirely from a small cooperative in the Dominican Republic):  This LOCAL Chocolatier – local, as in NE Minneapolis local – makes arguably the best chocolate I’ve ever sensed.  “Sensed?!”  Well, the word ‘taste’ doesn’t go far enough.  The silky texture of Rogue chocolate is as important as its extremely layered and complex flavors.  And, talk about flavors – Rogue chocolate bars even come with tasting notes! ($6.99)

Conclusion:  Pairing artisan dark chocolates with good Scotch was a such a memorable sensory (shall I say sensual?), experience that I cannot recommend it highly enough.  And thank-you Rogue for bringing chocolate to a new level.

Leave a Reply