Working as a cheesemonger has some advantages, in this case access to a piece of Rogue River Blue Cheese, which was named the Best Cheese in The World. Now I’m not really a blue cheese fan, but I have learned in my career in the food biz to “turn off” the Like/Dislike part of my brain for a bit and taste something critically. Usually a bite or two is enough, the taste memory is stored, and I can go back to not liking what I don’t like. With this cheese, however, I kept going back for a taste and it just kept on giving. Sweet, nutty and soft but with crunchy calcium deposits in the interior, while the pear brandy soaked grape leaf-wrapped exterior had a rich, fudgy texture with a blue flavor that had great depth yet seemed to know exactly when to stop so as not to overwhelm.

I was a bit excited before I even tried this cheese (READ: When I thought I wouldn’t like it) because the tasting notes in the description mentioned something you don’t see very often. “Pairs well with Bourbon.” Due to my love of both cheese and whiskey, I have done some pairings of the two, yet I have much more to explore. (Check out @Whiskey_Curd from my hometown of Atlanta on Instagram for someone who takes this very seriously!) When I realized I actually liked the cheese, I knew I had to try it with some bourbon. The big question, of course, was “Which one?” I knew it had to be something with a bit more body and a maybe bit of acidity to stand up to the richness of the cheese and something on the sweeter side to counter the strong sharp flavors. I was thinking of Four Roses Small Batch Select, Weller Special Reserve or Tom’s Foolery. Then fate stepped in…

Whiskey Advocate Magazine named George Dickel Bottled in Bond Tennessee Whiskey it’s Whiskey of the Year. I happened to have a friend give me a bottle with a few drams left in it a few weeks before. Two bests of the year that were supposed to pair well together? I couldn’t really turn down that opportunity.

These are my tasting notes for the Dickel when I tasted it the first time:

Nose: Corn, Stone Fruit, Light Cinnamon
Taste: Vanilla, Red Licorice, Slightly Earthy
Finish: Cinnamon Candy

These were pretty consistent with the second tasting before I had some of the cheese. Now, for those of you playing at home who might have clicked on the link above, you’ll notice my assessment was quite different than the K&L reviewer’s. Everybody tastes differently, and that’s normal. When reading reviews of and tasting whiskey, if you find a reviewer whose notes line up with yours, keep up with their reviews. Just remember, you taste what you taste and there is no wrong answer.

After taking a few sips of the whiskey, I took a bite of the interior of the cheese, then a sip of the whiskey again. This time I got a bit more corn and the heat of the finish was softened a little bit. Tasting some of exterior of the cheese brought out hints of leather and then more stone fruit on the finish. What’s interesting to me is that both the corn and the stone fruit were originally only on the nose, but the cheese brought them into the realm of taste.

I was very pleased with the pairing, but unfortunately both the Dickel and the Rogue Blue are just about impossible to find now. However, that shouldn’t stop you from grabbing some whiskey and some cheese and seeing how they go together. If you find something you really like, post it on my Facebook page to share with others.

Have Fun Cooking (and Drinking)!

Stuart