Drinks with Haggis
At a special gathering at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, the Macsween family set out to answer the long established question: what is the best alcoholic drink to go with Scotland’s national dish? It had been over ten years since our last full-scale tasting, and it was time to see what new combinations were available.
With the help of four professional drink experts we explored which beer, wine and whisky would go best with our traditional meat and vegetarian haggis. Our panel included Annabel Meikle of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, James Wrobel, proprietor of Cornelius Beer and Wine, Andrew Fulton of Orkney Brewery, wine consultant, Duncan McLean, and several other gourmands.
In a blind tasting format, the experts were split into four separate teams and sat down with hot Macsween traditional and vegetarian haggis and a side dish of clapshot, if required!
After many hours of very serious and considered tasting, plus a wee bit of chat, the panel agreed that while whisky remains a classic accompaniment, haggis really can shine with a variety of alcoholic partners. Haggis can withstand the intensity of whisky, support the more acidic wines and compliment the more unusual, strong, continental beers.
Whisky
First to pass the experts’ lips was Scotch whisky. The top three haggis partners, from a short-list of ten, covered a wide geographical spread and price range:
- ‘The Rich and Spicy Once’ from The Easy Drinking Whisky Company worked well with both the traditional and vegetarian haggis.
- Glenmorangie's sumptuous 18 year old, a sophisticated dram with a lovely orange aroma, was especially wonderful with the vegetarian haggis.
- Talisker's single cask 15 year old, makes a nippy, hot, sweet, oily, chewy partner with our vegetarian haggis - an unforgettable pairing.
Wine
After a global tour, our two teams of experts concluded that while red wines are usually the best choice, wines from hot climates (such as an Australian Shiraz) don't really cut the mustard. A wine with character is certainly needed to partner haggis, but too much body and too much alcohol tends to bully the poor haggis into submission - not the desired result at all!
On the night, it was South African and Italian wines that seemed to have the right acidity and levels of tannin, with the juicy sharpness of the favourite reds bringing out the best in the haggis. Interestingly, the two teams, working independently, both came to the conclusion that the Barbera grape variety complimented both traditional and vegetarian haggis, so we have now dubbed it the ‘the haggis red'. The panel particularly recommended Ca Del Matt, Barbera D’Asti, from Piedmont, Italy and Agostinelli, Barbera, Paarl from South Africa.
White wines were not forgotten. The spicy flavours of the favourite whites complimented our vegetarian haggis perfectly. In particular, the panel liked the dry Vida Organica Chenin Blanc, 2005, from Argentina; and Trimbach, Gewürztraminer, 2003, from Alsace.
Beer
Beers from Scotland, England, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic and the USA were all tasted. The Belgian beers were by far and away the most favoured. It would seem that haggis can match the higher alcoholic content (they were all over 7%), benefiting from the oomph and spicy character. The most successful partnerships were with Duvel, Brugge Tripel and Chimay Blue. Closer to home, the panel recommended darker beers such as Orkney Dark Island and Skull Splitter.
For more details on the drinks provided contact:
Scotch Malt Whisky Society www.smws.com Tel. 0131 226 2044
Cornelius Beer and Wine, 18–20 Easter Road, Edinburgh. Tel. 0131 652 2405
Duncan McLean:
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Tel. 01856 888791,
The more exotic beers not available in good off licences, can be found at:
www.beerritz.co.uk or www.the-offie.co.uk