The Best Holiday Cheese and Whisk(e)y Pairing for the HOLIDAYS
Thank you Castello Cheese for sponsoring this post. Castello Cheese makes entertaining easy with its range of flavors.
One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to entertain friends with fabulous food and drinks. This year, I decided to make the ultimate cheese platter using Castello Cheese! Not only that, I am pairing the cheese with whiskey for a really fun, interactive culinary experience. Castello Cheese offers more than 40 cheeses, so you can pick a variety with different flavors and textures to curate your own signature cheese platter.
To create this board, the first step is to buy some seasonal ingredients to decorate the platter. This is so much fun and such an easy way to add that wow factor. I like to use a combo of crackers, fruits, nuts, and even chocolate. Next, organize everything around the cheese and you are basically done! It’s so simple and you don’t have to worry about cooking anything.
In addition to the cheese platter, I like matching the cheeses with either wine or whiskey. This is a fun activity to do with guests as they can try different pairings at their own leisure and decide their favorite flavor combo. Speaking of flavor combos, I am using the Castello Creamy Havarti, Traditional Danish Blue, and Smoked Gouda. I love that Castello has easy-to-understand packaging with flavor strength indicators so you can really mix it up as you design your cheese platter.
I am pairing the cheese with three different kinds of whisk(e)y: Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, and Scotch Whisky. See the different tasting notes of the cheese below:
Creamy Havarti: A mild, aromatic, and creamy cheese with a hint of tanginess.
Traditional Danish Blue: A fine, nutty, blue mold aroma with hints of marzipan and a soft bitterness of sourdough.
Smoked Gouda: Lightly smoked over hickory wood chips to create a delectable smoky flavor that enriches the creaminess of the cheese.
I have shared my favorite pairings below, but all of the cheeses pair pretty well with all three of the whiskeys.
Creamy Havarti and Scotch: For the Scotch pairing, I am using a single malt 12-year whisky that has notes of fresh fruit aromas, a sweet honeyed palate, and a creamy lingering finish which pairs perfectly with the subtle aromatics and creaminess of the Havarti.
Traditional Danish Blue and Bourbon: The blue cheese really stands up to the bourbon. The sweeter notes of the bourbon really bring out the marzipan and dessert notes that are found within the cheese.
Smoked Gouda and Rye: The smoky flavor of the Gouda pairs really well with the spicy and bold flavors of the rye whiskey.
You can really mix and match your favorite whiskey with cheese and create some very tasty combinations. NOW, who is ready for cheese and whiskey? To find out where you can purchase Castello Cheese please click this link: https://clvr.li/CastelloCheese
Castello Cheese makes entertaining so easy and there are so many fun ways to use their cheese in recipes. Check out their Pinterest page here for more ideas: https://clvr.li/CastelloPinterest
