Dessert and Whisky Pairing at SMWS: London Edition

My food and whisky pairing series comes to a spectacular close with none other than a dessert and whisky pairing! What a way to round off a dinner series, no? If this is the first post you’re reading in my whisky and food pairing series with Scotch Malt Whisky Society, perhaps you don’t want to jump right in with dessert. Maybe a 6 course (and 6 whisky) tasting menu to start? And then move onto a surf and turf and whisky pairing?

All three of these food and whisky pairings in this series has been graciously gifted by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, of which I am an affiliate of. That means that, if you decide to purchase anything via the links in green, I may earn a small commission for. All opinions on mouthwatering dessert and luscious whiskies are my own. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a members-only club for whisky and other single cask spirit enthusiasts. Click here to learn more about the membership benefits!

As someone who has an absolute sweet tooth and will always say yes to a dessert, I was so excited to hear that the food and whisky pairings extended beyond main courses and starters. Of the food and whisky pairings I’ve done, the ones with “sweets” often see chocolate paired with whisky. But a full dessert course? Never before. (well, in my limited and humble experience!)

1. Scotch Malt Whisky Society – Greville Street – London!

Unlike the other tasting I’ve done with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, this one coincided with a personal trip south of the border – to London, England! Home of the Queen, the Tower Bridge, and the Greville Street Member Room.

In true speakeasy style, the London Member Room wasn’t where Google Maps said it was – at least the entrance wasn’t. Perpendicular to Greville Street, down the Bleeding Heart Yard (alley), was a big wooden door and keypad, surrounded by pink columns. On the windows surrounding the door, an alphabetical listing of Scotch whisky distilleries, starting with Aberfeldy at the top, down to Tormore at the bottom.

Honestly, I’m sure there is a Scotch Malt Whisky Society sign somewhere, but sometimes I can be aloof, and maybe I overlooked it. The bottles of whisky in the window were a dead giveaway though!

The folks at Greville Street knew I was coming, and when I buzzed they let me up. I was greeted at the top of the stairs by their delightful team, who I would come to know better in the coming days. That’s the thing about whisky, you end up just chatting and befriending people.

I was so happy to be joined on this tasting with my friend B, who I hadn’t seen since pre-pandemic times. I met B on a Twins that Travel tour to Turkey back in 2019, and she’s her spirit is just full of fun and positivity – that great energy that you’d want around anywhere. So, thanks B for joining me and keeping up with the 5 whiskies we went through!!

2. Some charcuterie to start!

While the SMWS Greville Street doesn’t have a dedicated kitchen, they partner with the Bleeding Heart Bistro next door to offer nibbles, a handful of mains and some desserts. I had taken the train down from Glasgow that day, and needed to eat something before jumping into the world of dessert and whisky. So, the charcuterie platter it was! Jasmine, who works at SMWS, came to take our order and asked if we wanted a whisky to start out with prior to the tasting.

Well, I won’t turn down a good whisky.

The best thing to do, is to ask your SMWS Ambassador for a whisky recommendation. And Jasmine did not disappoint!!! Limitness Scrumptiousness, cask no. 39.218, which is categorized in the “sweet, fruity and mellow” profile. A 13 year old Speyside whisky, at 57% ABV. I have to say hands down, this is one of my favorite SMWS bottlings! Definitely, light and sweet and reminded me of lychees and other sweet deliciousness. Maybe I was just in the mood for something light and incredible to start the evening.

3. Dessert and whisky – onto the main event!

Any time the main event is a dessert, you can be sure I’m a happy Lannie. Tonight’s main event would be two desserts and 5 whiskies. (FIVE WHISKIES? well – the Scotch Malt Whisky Society doesn’t mess around on a food and whisky pairing event… I think you must’ve figured that out by now! After five whiskies, you’ll be glad you started the evening with some charcuterie!) Each of these desserts were expertly paired by JP, the Venue Supervisor at Greville Street.

Having had a chat with JP during the tasting about the pairings, his whisky pairing style became clear. He believes that everything should be a balance of opposites. While you could have whiskies that always complement the food, in order to achieve equilibrium, there should be a negative to balance the positive. Not saying that he chose negative whiskies, but rather the less obvious choices – intentionally not pairing citrus with citrus, fruity with fruity. That kind of inverse balance.

So now, onto the dessert and whisky pairing!

3.1 White Chocolate Cheesecake with Poached Apricots

The first dessert we delighted in was a white chocolate cheesecake with poached apricots. Cheesecake is arguably one of the most classic desserts, and when you drizzle it with poached apricots, it takes the classic cheesecake to new heights!

The cheesecake was paired with Clementine Confit and Who’s Been in the Biscuit Tin?

The Clementine Confit, a 10 year blended Scotch, at 50% ABV, was a perfect pairing for the sweet, rich cheesecake. Aromas of coconuts, dark chocolates, oranges and other stone fruits, which is a lovely complementary taste to the apricots and white chocolate cheesecake.

Who’s Been in the Biscuit Tin? (cask no. 44.136) is a 16 year old Speyside, at 55.6% ABV, matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel. The tasting notes on this one says that the nose has lavendar and apricots, and tomatoes with brazil nuts, with the taste of juicy fruits and biscuits.

If I were digging deep into what JP was saying, I could definitely see the Biscuit Tin being a little on the inverse complementary side. Of course, whisky is a very personal experience, but I felt like following a nibble of the cheesecake, going back to the Biscuit Tin was a “punchier” taste than before.

3.2 Lemon Tart with Verbena Sorbet

We were forewarned by Jasmine that this lemon tart was super lemony. My mouth puckered up and I immediately began salivating at the thought of a really citrusy lemon tart. Although sour desserts aren’t my favorite, I can definitely appreciate a really tart lemon tart (hehe) or a key lime pie or anything like that really. One does not discriminate with sweet or sour desserts. Man. Just thinking of this lemon tart has got me salivating again. The struggle is real.

With the verbena sorbet, this lemon tart was just tart on tart.. but in a good way! This absolutely mouth watering dessert was paired with 3 whiskies, which were meant to be drank from left to right. The last one, is JP’s negative or inverse pairing.

We started with Salad Undressing (cask no. 1.226). In case you’re curious, I’m still giggling at the name. Anyway, Salad Undressing is an 8 year old Speyside, at 58.4% ABV. Very flavorful with hints of cream soda, orange cocktail bitters, and then some earthy, nutty tones. The lemon tart gave this whisky a nice balance, and brought out more of its “nuttier” flavors, if that makes sense.

Next up, Funky Rhubarb, Rum Baba (cask no. 44.137) – 16 year Speyside whisky, at 52.1% ABV. As you can expect with the name, the taste of it was sweet and tart like a funky rhubarb. But on the nose and a bit of the finish, was woodsy, but still a little sweet and tart. The ironic thing is, before the lemon tart, you didn’t get as much of the woodsiness. But after, that was all I could taste. Interestingly enough, the tasting notes from the bottle say:”With some water, we took an axe and wandered into a forest on a hot autumn day to chop some wood.” If that doesn’t accurately describe it, I don’t know what will.

The last whisky of the night was When Life Gives you Lemons (cask no. 68.43), an 11 year Highland whisky, at 55.6% ABV. JP’s infamous negative pairing for balance. A little lemony, a little oaky spiciness. Honestly, this was my least favorite whisky before the lemon tart, and after, to me, it was just too much of a contrast. Personally, I thought that it brought out all the wrong flavors.

My friend, B, didn’t have as adverse a reaction as I did, but like I said – whisky tasting and food pairings are a personal experience, and everyone experiences something different and unique. This one wasn’t for me, and that’s ok. I was happy to abandon the whisky and go back to my mouthwatering lemon tart.

Parting Thoughts

I absolutely love the idea of desserts being paired with whisky. And honestly, what a wonderful evening at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Greville Street! The staff there are so friendly and wonderful, my friend and I just had a fabulous time! Ok, so with my honest review, I didn’t like the last whisky and dessert pairing. But that’s ok! I want a food and whisky pairing to challenge my pre-existing notions of what works and what doesn’t work. I want it to expand my palate!

I love how innovative the Scotch Malt Whisky Society is with their food and whisky pairings. Let’s continue to challenge the notion of what can be paired with whisky. Let’s keep innovating and trying out new ideas and foods and whiskies!

A little closing note – as a huge foodie and newbie onto the whisky scene, the tastings and pairings that I did with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society were absolutely incredible. I enjoyed every single one of them! Just because August’s food and whisky pairing month is officially over, doesn’t mean you can’t head over to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for some food and whisky pairings yourself. Staff and ambassadors there alike are always there to give advice on complementary or inverse pairings – whichever you’re in the mood for!

A huge thank you to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for gifting me these food and whisky pairings! Hope you all enjoyed reading about the food and whisky pairing series as much as I did experiencing them!

• If you’re planning to move on from London over to SMWS in Scotland, consider taking the Caledonian Sleeper – an overnight sleeper train to Glasgow, Edinburgh and others!

Until then, everyone stay safe and slainte mhath!

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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