Peated whisky with smoked food

Where the smoke in whisky comes from

Peated whisky gets its smoke at the malting stage. Germinated barley is dried over a fire that includes peat, a soil of partly decayed plants dug from bogs. The smoke deposits phenols on the grain. Some of them survive mashing, fermentation and distillation to reach the glass.

Maltsters measure peating level as phenol content in parts per million, ppm. Heavily peated malt for Islay style whiskies is often around 40 to 50 ppm in the malt, with the finished spirit carrying a good deal less. Phenols such as guaiacol taste of wood smoke. Cresols lean towards tar and medicine. That balance matters when you pair with food. Our guide to peated Indian whisky covers the home grown side.

Indian kitchens are full of smoke

You do not need a barbecue pit to find smoked food in India. A few examples:

• Tandoori dishes: chicken, paneer, fish and kebabs cooked in a clay oven pick up char and light smoke.
• The dhungar method: a hot piece of charcoal is placed in a small bowl inside the pot, ghee is poured over it and the lid goes on for a few minutes. Dal, raita and kebabs all get this treatment.
• Naga smoked pork: pork smoked over the kitchen fire, often cooked with bamboo shoot and fierce chilli.
• Baingan bharta: aubergine roasted straight over a flame until the skin blackens.

Each has a different kind of smoke, which is why one peated whisky will not suit them all.

Match smoke weight to smoke weight

The common mistake is pairing the smokiest whisky in the cabinet with the smokiest dish on the table. Two loud smokes cancel each other into ash. The better approach is to match intensity:

• Light smoke in the food, such as a dhungar dal or a paneer tikka, wants a lightly peated whisky where the smoke sits behind fruit or honey.
• Medium char, such as tandoori chicken or a grilled fish, suits a medium peated malt.
• Heavy smoke plus fat, such as Naga smoked pork, can carry a heavily peated Islay style whisky because the fat absorbs some of the punch.

Fat and spice change the pairing

Fat softens smoke. A tandoori dish with butter or ghee basting will make a peated whisky taste rounder. Lean grilled meat leaves the smoke exposed.

Chilli is the opposite. Capsaicin and alcohol both trigger a burning sensation, so a fiery dish and a strong whisky together feel hotter than either alone. Bring the whisky down with water, roughly one part water to two or three parts whisky, when the food is hot. Sweetness helps too: a peated whisky matured partly in sherry casks gives a little dried fruit that calms the heat.

When not to pair smoke with smoke

Some dishes need contrast rather than an echo. A smoky baingan bharta with plenty of raw onion and coriander may be better with a fresh, fruity unpeated malt that cuts through the smoke. A heavily smoked fish can make a peated whisky taste flat and bitter.

Try both. Pour one peated and one unpeated whisky next to the same smoked dish and taste each against it. Half the time the contrast wins, which surprises most people who assume smoke must go with smoke.

Serve the whisky so the smoke reads clearly

How you pour changes how smoky a whisky tastes. A tulip shaped glass gathers aroma, so peat smoke and its finer notes such as citrus or seaweed reach the nose together. A wide tumbler lets the lighter aromas escape, leaving mostly ash and alcohol.

Temperature matters too. In a warm Indian room at 30 °C the alcohol vapour rises fast and can make a peated whisky smell harsh. A single ice cube or a splash of cool water calms that, though too much ice mutes the smoke along with everything else. With food, a few drops of water usually does more good than ice.

Pace the tasting. Smoke builds on the palate, so the third peated whisky of an evening tastes milder than the first. Start with the lightest and work up.

Run your own smoke tasting

Set out two or three smoked dishes of different intensity and two whiskies, one lightly peated and one heavily peated. Keep pours to about 15 ml each, with jugs of water and an empty glass for anyone who wants to spit. Have soft drinks and food enough for guests who are not drinking. Nobody who has been tasting drives home.

Note which pairings lift both the food and the whisky, which leave one tasting flat and which clash outright. Describe the smoke in each whisky as precisely as you can: bonfire, tar, bacon, iodine or ash. Getting that vocabulary right is half of good pairing.

Start with a dhungar dal and a lightly peated whisky. It is the gentlest version of the idea and shows quickly whether smoke on smoke works for you.

Common questions

Does peated whisky go with tandoori food?

Yes. A medium peated whisky usually matches the char of tandoori dishes well. Very heavy peat can swamp lighter tandoori items such as paneer or fish.

What is the dhungar method?

A hot coal is placed in a small bowl inside the cooking pot, ghee is poured on it and the lid is closed for a few minutes so the smoke flavours the dish.

Is smoke on smoke too much?

It can be if both are heavy. Match the intensity of the whisky to the food, or choose an unpeated whisky for contrast.

How do I stop chilli and whisky feeling too hot together?

Add water to the whisky to lower the alcohol and choose one with a little sweetness from sherry or bourbon casks.