Most people wet their whistle with wine (that's a lot of Ws) when they're eating cheese, but I've always thought beer and cider work just as well. I'd not considered pairing cheese with whisky; that was until Glen Garioch - one of Scotland's oldest distilleries got in touch. The company's tasters have done a lot of work exploring the world of cheese and whisky and have come up with some interesting combinations. They reckon their Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve is a top match for Comté, while their 12 Years Old goes best with salty Parmigiano Reggiano. Scottish cheeses, such as Lanark Blue and Criffel, also work, as do Lancashire and Caerphilly.
The Aberdeenshire company is currently running a competition with the winner going on a two-day, all expenses paid trip to the area where the whisky is made. It includes a VIP tour of the Glen Garioch distillery and a private tasting with Master Blender Rachel Barrie. A whisky and cheese matching session will also be held during the visit.
Competition runners up will receive a limited edition small batch release of Glen Garioch Single Malt Whisky.
For your chance to win, enter via the Glen Garioch Facebook page:
Entry closes at midnight on 3rd June 2013.
* More on whisky and cheese matching in later blog posts, when I've had a chance to do some serious tasting!