5 Scottish Whiskey and Seafood Pairings

5 Scottish Whiskey and Seafood Pairings
Five delicious Scottish whiskey and seafood pairings to try out at home

It's common knowledge that Singaporeans love their whiskey; with specialised whiskey stores like La Maison du Whisky and whiskey bars growing in scores, and prestigious whiskey events like Whiskey Live and the recent auction of the 60-year-old Macallan on the rise, more and more drinkers each year are making that switch in favour of the sweet and smoky notes of whiskey.

Recent figures released by Scottish Development International at the Food and Hotel Asia exhibition however, revealed that Singaporeans don't just love their whiskey -- we really, really love our whiskey.

In 2011, Scottish whiskey imports to Singapore stands at a staggering S$634 million dollars, with Singapore coming in third place (only after the U.S. and France) for top importers for Scottish whiskey in the world. Imports for Scottish seafood, apparently great for pairing with whiskey, also rose to S$2.6 million dollars. Say what you want about us, but we sure know how to drink and make merry.

In light of these interesting figures, we've put together a list of the top Scottish whiskeys and seafood that, according to Scottish chef Tony Jackson, are absolutely exquisite. And yes, you can definitely find all of the produce and whiskey from premium supermarkets and whiskey retailers in Singapore. We're the top importers of Scottish produce in Asia, after all.

#1: Bladnoch with scallops cooked in mirin rice wine sauce
"Bladnoch is a lowland malt from the South-West part of Scotland, and it goes very well with the Asian flavour of the mirin rice wine sauce that's used to cook the scallops. The Bladnoch also compliments without overpowering the delicate flavour of the scallops."

#2: Glenburgie with Langoustines
"Langoustines are basically big Dublin Bay prawns. It's a cold water prawn so it's quite soft and sweet, and it goes very well with a Glenburgie, which is smooth and not heavily oaked, and hence complements the sweet taste of the prawn."

#3: Bowmore with salmon cooked in citrus sauce
"One great way to prepare salmon is to cook it with a zest of lime, lemons, orange juice and honey, which gives it a lovely sweet and sour taste. I love pairing it with Bowmore, a single malt whiskey from the island of Islay. It's a very light peat smoked malt, and this peaty smokiness melts into the fat of the salmon and creates a great complex flavour of sweetness, acidity and smokiness. Simple, but delicious!"

#4 Glenrothes with lobster soup
"This is more of a seasoning than pairing, but lobster soup flavoured with just a little bit of Glenrothes gives you that aromatic, lovely taste. It enhances the flavour and it's just excellent!"

#5: Bowmore with monkfish
"I go back yet again to the Bowmore, but this time with monkfish. I like to pan-fry the monkfish with bacon and butter. You get that saltiness in the bacon, that richness in the monkfish and it goes well again, with the smokiness of Bowmore."

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