Glenmorangie Scotch dinner at Strada

TASTE ADVENTURE: Attendees to the recent Glenmorangie Scotch dinner at Strada Italiano were able to taste several varieties of Glenmorangie Scotch paired with dishes by Strada chef Anthony Cerrato. Photo by Jonathan Ammons

First you smell it: The first waft of alcohol is startling and almost knocks the wind out of you, but the aroma of almonds and honey that follows draws you into your first sip. As soon as it hits your tongue there is a slight burn, a heat that wakes up your taste buds and startles them into action. Then comes a rush of flavors —  vanilla, oak, something floral. In the end, a breeze of peat passes over you and lingers for a while.

It’s the first tasting of our Glenmorangie Scotch dinner on Thursday, July 9, at Strada, and we’re sampling the company’s original 10-year single malt. Just as we are removing the lids from our whiskey snifters to take our first sips, the plates arrive. The first course is a sort of deconstructed lox: pastrami-cured, smoked salmon; confit onion; cream cheese; a bagel crostini with a dollop of smoked mussel pate and a long streak of Dijon mayonnaise running down the middle of the plate.

Chef Anthony Cerrato has paired the meal with a selection of five Glenmorangie whiskeys — a fun task thanks to the unusual and experimental efforts of the brand’s distillers, who utilize alternative barrels and techniques to make a distinctive line of Scotch. Glenmorangie’s Lasanta offering spends around 10 years in American oak barrels, formerly used for aging bourbon, then it is transferred into oloroso sherry casks for an additional two years. The result is a Scotch that packs the raisin-laden aroma of sherry, a spicy body and a nutty finish. Paired with a powerful mole-drenched pork shank, harissa romesco and a plantain foam, it goes down quite easy.

The host is Rachael Ewing, one of the nation’s only two female whiskey sommeliers. Having grown up in Germany, tended bar in Scotland and lived in Tanzania and Italy, the 26-year-old’s deep locker of tall tales, legends and late-night bar stories draw a long, winding path through each whiskey and each course of food.

Duck confit with smoked onion napolean, watercress and fig compote. Photo by Jonathan Ammons

On our plates are a delicate lamb lollipop with a sweet-potato and date latke topped with a chutney of peppadew peppers and drizzled with a squiggle of mint chimichurri. In our glasses, Glenmorangie’s Quinta Ruban, another nonvintage whiskey that spends its last two years aging in port barrels. The result is a much darker, harsher, louder voice — one that smells of chocolate and walnut and tastes of orange zests and mint.

Then comes the remarkably delicious Nectar D’or, which is finished off in Sauternes casks. The dessert wine’s spent barrels lend the Scotch a light tannin that pricks at the tongue and begs for food. There is a lingering suggestion of ginger and an incredibly seasoned aftertaste. It sits alongside a duck confit and smoked onion napoleon served on a bed of watercress and a Saint Germain fig compote. And this simple alteration in the order of the meal’s service — the salad arriving before the dessert course  — might be the only hint of Italian influence on the dinner so far.

Finally, we receive galub jamun, a dish that originated in South Asia and resembles a bread pudding but is made from milk solids, or khoya, that is blended into the dough. It is at once sweet and savory. The two marble-sized spheres are served in a bath of ginger-lemon syrup and paired with Glenmorangie’s 18-year vintage, a mature and established brew, a portion of which sees three years in oloroso casks. Dried fruits, honey and that charismatic sherry flavor wash the palate.

By the end of the dinner, the dozen or so of us in attendance are not just full but educated. With Ewing’s in-depth and accessible explanation of Scotch and what makes each offering for the night unique, it is as though we haven’t just been drinking or eating, we have been learning and proving that an educated palate is more often than not a very grateful one.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Jonathan Ammons
Native Asheville writer, eater, drinker, bartender and musician. Proprietor of www.dirty-spoon.com Follow me @jonathanammons

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.