Peggy Noe Stevens is a master taster, whiskey reviewer, and competition judge. She is known for her super palate in the industry, as well as her founding innovations connecting whiskey and food pairing styles and methods. Here, we feature the following brands and the inspiration for creating unique profiles and food pairings. The following is a guideline to discovering the ultimate food pairings for your guests.
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged Bourbon 2023
115.7 proof
Let’s hear from Beth Buckner, the innovation manager at Maker’s Mark, who is responsible for the brilliant concept creation of Cellar Aged:
“Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged defines an older whiskey that’s distinctly Maker’s. One rooted in burning recipes, challenging convention, and building on a taste vision generations in the making. It’s a richer, fruitier, more complex bourbon, that’s deeper, darker, with no bitterness. To achieve this, we used the Maker’s Mark limestone cellar to age the bourbon for an additional five to six years after a standard six year maturing in our traditional rickhouses. This slows down the tannic impact that occurs during maturation while allowing the barrel to develop complexities and deeper, darker flavor characteristics.
“Since our founding, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did. Not because we didn’t believe in it; we simply hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t compromise our taste vision. Cellar Aged embodies an older whisky that’s distinctly Maker’s Mark: challenging convention, delivering new flavor experiences from the environment that surrounds us, and building on a taste vision that’s been generations in the making.
“Its launch in 2023 has been one of my proudest moments at Maker’s Mark, not because it was my singular achievement, but it really was a testament to the team working diligently to get it across the finish line.”
Balance – Simple Pairing
Vanilla wafer
Balance – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Brie and cherry en croûte
Counterbalance – Simple pairing
Wasabi pea
Counterbalance – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Pastry-wrapped chicken Dijon
Explosion – Simple Pairing
Luxardo cherry
Explosion – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Crème brûlée drizzled with a cherry coulis
Middle West Spirits Double Cask Oloroso Wheat Whiskey
100 proof
According to CEO, co-founder, and master distiller Ryan Lang: “During the innovation process, we wanted to produce a double cask whiskey that would start with the flavor notes of the wheat grains we developed in the Ohio region and were fortunate to find oloroso casks that we thought would balance well. While we know we had a good whiskey base to start with, the secondary aging process led to many changes in the barreled distillate month over month. This meant a lot of tasting to determine when and how it would finish out, but we decided this product would be ready when it was ready, and we think it was worth the wait.”
“The mash bill for Middle West Spirits Wheat Whiskey is 95 per cent Ohio soft winter wheat (5 per cent two-row barley). This is the first grain profile used when they released their first whiskey in 2011. The soft winter wheat growing in Ohio has baking spice essence, which is why it is used in many baking products and baked goods produced in Ohio by companies like Pilsbury. It is first distilled and aged for four years in toasted, char level three American white oak barrels from Speyside Cooperage in Jackson, Ohio. It is harvested and then enters an oloroso cask for aging for another one to two years, depending on how the flavors develop. The final harvest is done based on the flavoring profile, with the final proof chosen based on the complexities of the whiskey distillate with the oloroso. We wanted the wheat flavor profile of baking spice, vanillin, and light oak to balance the robust oloroso profile that is similar to a Scotch [whisky] finishing process.”
Balance – Simple Pairing
Oatmeal cookie
Balance – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Bacon-wrapped scallops
Counterbalance – Simple pairing
Herbed crostini
Counterbalance – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Mushroom caps with Boursin cheese and country ham
Explosion – Simple Pairing
Stromboli
Explosion – Appetizer/entrée/dessert
Cranberry upside-down cake with dark chocolate drizzle
Hope you enjoy these products alongside your favorite food pairings. The texture and quality of each spirit will stir anybody’s taste buds. Enjoy!
How to pair |
Balance is when you complement a predominant note in the whiskey |
Counterbalance is when opposites attract and you fire up a food flavor, |
Explosion is almost too much of a good thing, when you take a predominant whiskey note and dial up the food match, to create surround-sound flavors that slap an immediate smile on your face and palate. |