WHISKEYS OF THE WORLD &

Chocolate Affair

Whisky is not called the water of life, or uisge beatha, for nothing. Distilleries are almost always built near a water source for unlimited supplies of pure spring water. But did you know that whisky is enhanced by adding a drop of H2O to your dram? We investigate the magic behind the marriage between water, whisky and chocolate.

The E in all of it!

First things first: let’s talk about whisk(e)y. The spelling whisky (plural: whiskies) is generally used in Scotland, Canada, Japan and Wales. Whiskey (plural: whiskeys) describes the liquor made in Ireland and the United States. Both kinds mature in the cask – not in the bottle, as wines do – to give them deeper and richer flavour, and that distinctive amber colour lent by the golden charred oak barrels.

Single malt whisky is made using malted barley at a single distillery, they are usually associated with Scotland so you will be forgiven for not knowing that a single malt is distilled in many countries around the world.   In Scotland, single malt is matured in oak casks for at least three years but often 12 or even 20.

Blended malts are a mixture of single malts from different distilleries using a mixture of malt and grain whiskies, plus flavouring and colouring. The blender will use whisky from many distilleries to produce a flavour consistent with the brand.

Drinking VS Tasting

Irish whiskey, on the other hand, is distilled from a yeast-fermented mash of cereal grains and aged for at least three years in wooden casks. Varieties of Irish whiskey include single pot still, single malt, single grain, and blended Irish whiskey.

Finally, bourbon is a type of American whiskey made from a grain mixture of at least 51% corn and aged in new, charred-oak barrels.

Drinking versus tasting
First, it should be made clear that when drinking whisk(e)y, you can technically do whatever you like. If you want to add soda or cola to your dram, that’s your prerogative. It’s when tasting whisky that you need to treat it correctly – by adding a drop of water.

Adding ice
Ice is merely a frozen chunk of H2O, so you can just add a block and enjoy the same effect, right? Wrong: while ice cools your drink down and creates a rich-sounding tinkling sound, it’s not the best treatment for your scotch. The cold ice seems to shock the whisky into making it contract where you really want it to open up to reveal its beautiful aromas.

Adding water
This is where water comes in. A splash of water at room temperature works to open up the whisky’s profile on the nose, all along the tongue and the palate.

Adding chocolate
And now we really get into it. This is where the whisk(e)y, water and chocolate all come together in that perfect marriage, where close your eyes to discern flavours like biscuit, tobacco, leather, heather, honey, caramel, vanilla, wood, toast, grass, citrus, peat, fresh fruit, smoke, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, mint and herbs and find your own piece of ecstasy. We have such a great time at our https://thechocolatetier.co.za/whiskey-of-the-world/

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Take the journey with us and indulge your senses with our various experiences, ranging from food and wine pairings, whiskey and chocolate tastings and you can even learn how to make your very own truffles.

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Experience Add-ons

Riedel Glassware

Our gift boxes do not contain any glasses.
If you would like to add any glasses o your experience as gifts,
please have a look at our catalogue, make your choice and we
will add them to the box.

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box.  Whether you’re looking for something small and delicate
or if you have something special in mind, please get in touch
with us.  Our team can make some lovely suggestions.

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you can order each guest one of our amazing grazing boxes
filled with cheeses, cold meats, a selection of fruits and some
delicious treats for those with a sweet tooth.

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