Cheese pairs beautifully with almost anything you can eat or drink. And if you thought cheese and wine was the ultimate match, think again. Pairing cheese with whisky will make you question every cheese-and-wine night you’ve ever had. Whisky and cheese pairing is a genuine match made in heaven, and it can lift both the dram and the cheese to a whole new level.
In this guide, we pair some of our favourite Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey expressions with the cheeses that bring out their best side — from an Ardbeg with a blue cheese to a Tullamore DEW with a hard, nutty cheddar.
Along the way, you’ll also find out why cheese works so well with whisky in the first place, and how to run a proper whisky and cheese tasting at home.
One thing is for sure: it’s a match made in heaven!
Table of Contents – Sip this Article
- Why Cheese is Good With Alcohol
- Whisky and Cheese Pairing – 4 Types of Whisky and Their Best Matches
Why Cheese is Good With Alcohol?
Cheese has always been the perfect party partner for alcohol. Most people reach for wine or beer, but pairing cheese with a stronger drink works just as well — often better.
There is something about cheese that makes it so versatile and such a good match for a drink: the saltiness, the smokiness, or simply the fat all play their part. Cheese pairs well with almost any alcoholic beverage you can think of.
Cheese and red wine is the classic combination at any tasting, but have you tried cheese with cognac? Or with brandy? With gin, or even vodka? For us, the best pairing of all is cheese and whisky.
The relationship goes deeper than the glass, too — some cheeses even have a splash of a spirit mixed in during production, to help develop their character.
So why does cheese work so well with alcohol? It comes down to fat. The fat in cheese coats the palate and softens the alcohol’s bite, which matters most with higher-proof drinks. The reverse is also true: the alcohol cuts through the fat in the cheese, letting you taste it in its purest form.
When you pair alcohol with cheese, one of two things happens: either the flavours echo each other, or each one sharpens the character of the other. Either way, you’re in for a good time.
On top of being the perfect tasting or snacking companion, cheese can also help prevent a hangover. The carbs, protein and fat in cheese coat the stomach and slow down how quickly it absorbs alcohol — which means a gentler morning after. You’re welcome!
Whisky and wine is a classic pairing. But have you thought about whisky and vodka? Or, even better, whisky and cheese pairing?
Does Whisky Go With Cheese?
The short answer is: yes! And it’s a match made in heaven. Whisky and food pairings can be tricky to get right, but cheese is one of the safest and most rewarding choices.
In fact, whisky pairs so well with cheese that Scotch whisky giant Macallan has already partnered with Murray’s Cheese on this very idea. The result: four perfect matches between Macallan’s exquisite expressions and Murray’s fine, creamy cheeses.
Beyond that single project, there’s a whole world of whisky and cheese pairings that were simply meant to be. Some cheeses have an almost opposite flavour profile that ends up bringing the whisky’s own flavours to light, while others complement it directly.
How to Eat Cheese With Whisky? The Tasting Process
Whisky and cheese pairing is great on its own, but there’s a way to get even more out of the experience. Following the right tasting process can reveal far more than the flavours you’d expect from either the cheese or the whisky alone.
First, save the richest cheese for last. If your board has a goat’s cheese, a brie and a blue cheese, start with the brie, move to the goat’s cheese, and finish with the blue. Richer, smokier cheeses will overpower lighter whisky expressions — and the other cheeses — if you taste them too soon.
Second, let the cheese come to room temperature, just as you would the whisky.
Finally, here’s a simple way to taste whisky and cheese together:
- Smell the whisky and take in the aromas it reveals.
- Smell the cheese and notice how it relates to the whisky.
- Sip the whisky and swirl it around your mouth before swallowing. Notice the flavours and the background notes.
- Now that you know the whisky’s flavours, take a second sip.
- While you still have a little whisky on your palate, take a small bite of the cheese and notice how the two interact. Ask yourself:
- Are the flavours complementary?
- Or do new flavours come to the front?
- Did the cheese change any of the whisky’s flavours?
- Is the whisky’s finish any brighter?
Discover how to properly taste whisky, in this guide:How To Drink Whisky Properly – Complete Guide
As you taste the whisky and the cheese together, the flavours and the texture can shift, which is what makes this pairing so interesting within the wider world of whisky tasting. The cheese doesn’t just bring the whisky’s flavours to life — the whisky can enhance the cheese’s own flavours and aromas right back.
Whisky and Cheese Pairing – 4 types of whisky and their best matches
Scotch Whisky and Cheese Pairings
Scotland is one of the world’s biggest whisky producers and, as the name makes clear, owns the entire production of Scotch whisky.
As a result, Scotch is one of the most searched-for and best-selling whisky styles in the world. From Single Malt Scotch Whisky to Blended Scotch, there are endless expressions of this spirit, which makes it hard to pin down a single flavour profile. Still, a few traits run through most of them: peaty and smoky flavours, malted barley backgrounds, and even a light sea-salt note in some expressions.
To build a great Scotch whisky and cheese pairing, start with the tasting notes of the whisky itself. A smokier, more peated dram calls for a blue cheese to balance it out. If you’d rather match the flavours than contrast them, go for harder, nuttier cheeses, like the alpine styles.
Here are the combinations we suggest:
The Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask + Young Pecorino Romano Cheese
The Macallan is one of the world’s most exquisite Single Malt Scotch Whisky brands, and — as mentioned above — the brand partnered with Murray’s Cheese to elevate exactly this kind of tasting. Their guide pairs Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask with a young Pecorino Romano, and we couldn’t agree more with this one.
The Macallan expression is rich in sweet and citrus flavours — honey, caramel, orange and spice — while a young Pecorino Romano is a salty, aromatic, sharp sheep’s cheese.
As with most sheep’s cheeses, the saltiness plays against the spice in The Macallan 12 Years Old Double Cask and cuts through its citrus notes. Salty and sweet play off each other, bringing the whisky’s honey and vanilla background to the front.
Because it’s a young cheese, it won’t be too hard, and it plays smoothly against the whisky’s density and finish.
This The Macallan whisky expression pairs perfectly with a Pecorino Romano Cheese
Glen Garioch 12-Years Old and Parmigiano – Reggiano
Coming from Aberdeenshire, Glen Garioch is the most easterly distillery in the world — and, fittingly, the Scotch whisky produced there is quite unique as well.
Glen Garioch 12-Years Old is a sweet, smooth, oaky dram with fruity notes of banana and pear. Parmigiano-Reggiano, in turn, is a hard cow’s-milk cheese with the nutty flavour that makes it a natural flavour-enhancer for almost anything it’s paired with.
Together, Glen Garioch 12-Years Old and Parmigiano-Reggiano make for an interesting clash of opposites: the whisky brings a creamy finish, while the cheese offers real density. The cheese essentially becomes the stage for the whisky to shine — its nutty, sweet notes draw out the malted barley character of this single malt.
Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Year Old Single Malt + Briquette de Brebis cheese
The Balvenie is Speyside’s best-known Scotch whisky brand, and for good reason: their drams are elegant and inventive, as shown by The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Years Old.
This expression takes everything The Balvenie knows about crafting whisky and finishes it in rum casks, giving it gentle sweet and vanilla notes that end in molasses and fresh fruit.
As for the cheese, Briquette de Brebis is a soft, creamy French sheep’s cheese with nutty aromas that act as a platform for the whisky’s fresher notes.
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14-Years Old and Briquette de Brebis is a smooth, sweet pairing — the cheese’s nutty character draws out the fruit notes in this Scotch.
Ardbeg Uigeadail + Blue Stilton cheese
A giant of a whisky needs a cheese that can match its scale. Awarded year after year, Ardbeg Uigeadail is one of the most heavily peated drams around, and Blue Stilton has just the character to stand up to it.
Ardbeg Uigeadail is matured in ex-sherry casks, which give it peated, sweet and spicy flavours, alongside nutty notes and fruit — think lemon and banana — behind a smoky, salty backbone.
To match a whisky this full-bodied, a cheese like Blue Stilton is the ideal partner. Though it’s a blue cheese, it’s milder than gorgonzola — a mellow, characterful cheese with salty, nutty notes that introduces Ardbeg Uigeadail’s smokiness gently.
Blue Stilton also lifts the whisky’s mild fruity notes. If you expected this pairing to be a clash of titans, you’d be wrong — the two play off each other beautifully, each one bringing out the best in the other.
The Ardmore Legacy + Gorgonzola
A lightly peated Scotch whisky expression meets a punchy cheese — this is how you play with complementary opposites.
Ardmore Legacy is a smooth but dry dram that combines light smoke with sweet and spicy notes, plus a smoky charcoal background balanced by cinnamon, honey, vanilla and a touch of citrus.
Gorgonzola is a punchy Italian cheese with a grassy, earthy taste. Being a semi-firm, salty blue cheese, it plays wonderfully against the dry character of Ardmore Legacy.
On top of its saltiness and grassiness, Gorgonzola lifts the whisky’s citrus notes and provides a nice contrast with its sweeter side.
Best Cheese to go with Irish Whiskey
Alongside Scotland, Ireland is one of the countries whose identity is tied up with whisky. Both still claim to have invented the spirit, but one thing is certain: Ireland was home to the first whisky distillery — Bushmills.
So what makes Irish whiskey different from the rest? The key lies in distillation: Irish whiskey is typically run through a triple distillation, either in copper pot stills or via a continuous column process.
Another difference from Scotch is the spelling: Irish “whiskey” is written with an ‘e’, while Scotch “whisky” is not.
Because the grains are largely unmalted, or not dried over peat as they often are in Scotch distilleries, Irish whiskey tends to be smoother, with floral, fruity and cereal notes. As it ages, it typically picks up sweeter flavours like caramel and oak.
Keep these flavour notes in mind when building a whisky and cheese pairing, since the cheese can either contrast with or complement the whiskey’s character. Given its lighter body and flavour, a goat’s cheese — salty, with bolder flavours — is often the best match for Irish whiskey. If you’re after a gentler, complementary pairing instead, try it with a brie.
Tullamore DEW + Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
A classic Irish whiskey blend built from single malt whiskeys, single grain whiskeys, and ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks, all brought together for a smooth finish. Tullamore DEW earns its place in this guide as another Irish giant.
As a true Irish whiskey, Tullamore DEW balances sweetness, fruit and spice. Expect toffee and vanilla notes on the palate, along with a touch of sherry and spice.
Kerrygold Dubliner, meanwhile, is one of the best cheeses to pair with Irish whiskey. This cow’s-milk cheese has a hard texture that gives Tullamore DEW’s medium body something solid to stand on, while its nutty, lightly spiced character plays smoothly against the dram’s sweeter notes.
