This was to be a whiskey sampling and paired dinner and we were to try 4 variants. As a brand Jack Daniel's is amongst the oldest around and has a good share of the market, with good reason too. Over the years they have sold around 14 million cases worldwide and have been in the Indian market for a good 18 years now.


The evening for me began with a lovely cocktail with JD No. 7 as a base. The charcoal mellowing is what makes all the difference between a Tennessee Whiskey and Bourbon. There were other cocktails around but I choose to stick to one kind before getting into the tasting

 The first whiskey of the evening was what I was nursing by way of a cocktail till then -the Jack Daniel's No. 7 - Matured in handcrafted barrels, this is a charcoal mellowed whiskey and that is the primary difference between this and the Tennessee. The flavours are a balance of sweet and oak. The oak in fact becomes much more pronounced when you swirl it a bit and then nose your whiskey again.

This Whiskey was brilliantly paired with the first course - White Asparagus with Parmesan and Spiced Hollandaise. The White Asparagus too me back to a brilliant meal at the Hofmeisterei Hirtzberger in Vienna in 2015 where white asparagus was the star of a course. The spiced hollandaise is what elevates the white asparagus and the parmesan gives it that touch of richness. The whiskey opens the palate well enough to appreciate all the textures and flavour profiles that the meal offers.

Course two continued with the same whiskey and this time it was paired with the Pan Roasted Scallops with Textures of Cauliflower honey and truffle dressing. The scallops were treated with a lot of love (something the really need when being cooked) and with the cauliflower textures the course was a lovely play of textures. All through, the scallops remained king. The whiskey moved really well between a mildly heavy vegetarian course to a fish course, making for a subtle pairing.

 This course for the vegetarians was titled A Walk in the Garden - Root Shaving citrus Chantilly. Served up in a pretty looking wooden tray, surrounding by delicate plates and topped off with edible flowers.

The second whiskey for the evening was the Gentleman Jack - this is a double mellowed whiskey and opens with an aroma of orange, vanilla and some hints of mint. This is a full-bodied whiskey, light on spices. The finish is quite smooth, gives you a lingering feeling of warmth going doing and is very pleasant.

 This was paired with the Lamb Agnialotti with Arugula Apple Wood Cloud - This pasta course was a good match to the bolder whiskey considering the sheet pasta used and beautifully spiced lamb on the inside. Unlike most foams/clouds, this one actually had a lovely lingering flavour that combined well with the pasta.



The main course of Lamb Chops Grilled Tomato and Traditional Chateau Potato with Bearnaise Sauce was served with the Woodford Reserve. Having already enjoyed this whiskey from my personal bar on many a night, I knew it would be the ideal pairing with the lamb course that was served. The smokiness level of this whiskey is significant and that is perhaps what makes it the best one to go with a red meat like lamb.
The encrusted lamb is possibly one of the best renditions of lamb I have come across in a very long time. Succulent, moist, easily yielding to the knife and done perfectly to a medium. The accompaniments of the bearnaise sauce and the grilled tomatoes and chateau potato made this a dish that I finished right down to the last crumb.

The vegetarians had the Spinach Coulibiac Pearl Barley Risotto with Saffron paired with Woodford Reserve. The heaviness of the risotto and the layers of the pastry are what brought it all together with this pairing.