This is probably the other greatest question in life so to find out what is the best single malt to have with haggis we have been asking guests to our festivals to take part in a blind tasting to vote for their favourite. We have had our guests try over 50 different single malts over the years we have been doing this experiment. This is just haggis, neeps and tatties. No additions or substitutions allowed. This is pure science!
At this year's Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival the reigning champion from the previous festival, Glen Scotia 15 Years Old, in fact the winner from the past 3 festivals, was pitched against 3 whiskies we had not tried in the competition previously. The full line up was:
Balvenie 12 Single Barrel
Glen Moray Classic Sherry
Glen Scotia 15 Years Old
Glenrothes Peated Cask
And oh dear, yet again Glen Scotia 15 Years Old romped home as the clear winner. Is this the final answer? We give a special mention to Glen Moray Classic Sherry which came in as clear second place.
This is probably one of the 2 greatest questions in life so to find out what is the best single malt to have with a bacon roll we have been asking guests to our festivals to take part in a blind tasting to vote for their favourite. We have had our guests try over 50 different single malts over the years we have been doing this experiment. No sauce this is pure science!
At this year's Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival there was no reigning champion from the previous festival to put in as Arran Lochranza which had won the last 3 competitions has been discontinued so we had a fresh start. The 4 we picked were:
Glenturret Triple Wood
Glenallachie Distillery Edition
Glenrothes Vintage Reserve
Glen Moray 15 Years Old
This was a hard fought contest and we were very surprised to have a tie at the top with 2 clear winners. All you need to know is when you next have a bacon roll then pour yourself a dram of Glen Moray 15 Years Old or Glenturret Triple Wood!
At this year's Whisky Shop Dufftown Autumn Festival we have been continuing our search for the best single malt to go with Haggis. Neepies and Tatties were also provided as these are expected but it is the Haggis we are focusing,
During the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival this year we ran a cafe & bar at the venue for our tastings. Not only did this serve much needed sustenance to festival guests but also helped us continue our experiments with food and whisky pairings. We looked at bacon rolls with 4 whiskies and Haggis with a different 4 whiskies. Guests were treated to the way the whisky and food combinations change the flavours of both, emphasising some flavours in the food and the whisky and also creating new ones!
We were delighted by the number of people who chose to take part and the fabulously positive response to our whisky and food tastings. Some guests had not done this kind of thing before and where blown away by the whisky and food experience.
Bacon
Brave breakfast festival guests were asked to sample a bacon roll with 4 different whiskies and faced with the challenge of choosing their favourite. The whiskies chosen by Mike Lord were all distillery bottlings: Cragganmore 12, Glen Elgin 12, Singleton of Dufftown 12 and Benromach 10. The bacon was unsmoked and guests were asked not add sauce – this is serious stuff. The clear winner was Cragganmore 12. This was a treat for those that tried the tasting and a great way to start the festival day.
Bacon Roll and a Dram
Cragganmore 12 Years Old
Haggis
During the lunch time period we switched our attention to Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. (For those of you wondering neeps are swedes and tatties are potatoes.) The focus was on pairing the Haggis with Clynelish 14 (as suggested by the Classic Malts website), An Cnoc 12, Aberlour 16 and Benriach 10. Whisky and Haggis is a particularly good combination with the spices in the Haggis working well with the whiskies. Again there was a clear favourite – Aberlour 16.
Aberlour 16 Years Old
Haggis, neeps and tatties
It’s Down to You
With each whisky and food combination there was not one pairing that some people did not vote for as their favourite. This shows again that there are no hard and fast rules with whisky and the only way to find your favourite is to try it for yourself.
Special Thanks
We would like to thank the Dufftown Lodge and their wives and friends for running the cafe and serving spectacular food during the festival. Particular thanks go to Yvonne Smart whose help, cooking and good humour were the backbone of the cafe operation.
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2012
The Autumn Speyside Festival
For anyone coming to the Autumn Speyside Festival and wishing to attend our events at The WSD Autumn Festival 2012 then it is more than likely than tickets for our events will only be available from our website. There will be no change for the Spirit of Speyside Festival 2013.