An invitation to dine at Paris House in Woburn on Friday was an offer I couldn’t refuse as I was presented with the opportunity of a unique tasting experience.
Seashore Taste of Islay was the meeting of two minds to create an intriguing menu of seafood, chocolate and cheese, remarkably paired with Bowmore single malt whisky.
The evening was hosted by an expert in the drink industry, Alasdair Dickinson, who together with head chef Phil Fanning opened my mind to the possibility that whisky could be an enjoyable and interesting complement to a variety of food courses at dinner.
Alasdair said: “Paris House was quite an obvious location for Taste of Islay because it is dramatic, it’s isolated and almost kind of encapsulates what whisky is about; having that quiet down time and just enjoying yourself.
“For me, it’s an absolutely fabulous location to do something like this.”
The idea that a stereotypically heavy drink, often imagined being sipped late at night in front of a fire, could be matched up with a light fish dish just didn’t sound possible; but for me, a non whisky drinker, surprisingly it worked.
We’ve all heard the expression to eat with your eyes; the assumption that most people judge a dish on its presentation. So towards the end of the evening we were given the nod to put on a blindfold that would remove our immediate visual impression and force us to let go of any previous perceptions we may have had to concentrate solely on the smell and taste, which made for an interesting experiment.
I have always thought of whisky drinkers as being in a club that I couldn’t join, but there at Paris House I was surrounded by a whole range of people from men in their early 20s to women in their late 70s.
It was exciting to see an assortment of people break the traditional boundaries and try something new.
Alasdair said: “We are noticing with the more events we do that more people are drinking whisky. It is becoming far more approachable and we’re moving away from the stuffy reputation that whisky used to have.
“Traditionally we looked at whisky as a potentially a winter drink; something you would drink on your own in front of a fire, with a demographic of men over 40.
“I think the drinkers in Britain are becoming far more educated and becoming enthused about trying different spirits.
“It’s a thirst for education and we’re making whisky making more acceptable and more approachable by having events such as this that showcases whisky to people who wouldn’t potentially see it as they’re first go-to drink.
“For the event we have combined Bowmore 12 with Oysters, which is a partnership that most people wouldn’t expect. We are creatures of habit, every single one of us.
“But when you think about Bowmore and Islay it is a maritime whisky; the distillery sits right on the sea so it’s going to have a slightly salty influence so it makes absolutely perfect sense to pair that up with seafood.”
Head chef Phil Fanning said: “It is a complicated process and it kind of really boils down to Alasdair’s ability to understand his product and give me hints to where I am heading.
“So if he said the whisky would go with goji berries and koala bear, then that’s my job to make it into a dish that works for that.
“We will always work around the flavour profile that is given to that product, so the Tempest would have a set of characteristics that would work with certain things.”
So whether you’re male, female, young or old, pairing whisky with a marvellous menu alongside a masterclass about the drink was a truly spectacular evening that kept my taste buds very happy indeed!