Ireland is the home of whiskey, and Ireland is famous for its food. From farm to fork and from grain to glass, do you know Irish whiskey and food go perfectly together?

The depth of diversity of Irish whiskey pairs perfectly with the finest and freshest food on the island.

From Irish cheeses to seafood – oyster – and grilled prawns- from cured meat to barbequed meats to even chocolate, add an Irish whiskey and get ready for an explosion of the senses – as whiskey and food marry together to bring out the most exquisite and intense flavours of Ireland. In the pub or restaurant – or in the comfort of your home – discover the magic of Irish whiskey and food.

The Irish Whiskey Association has partnered with renowned Irish Michelin-star chef Jp McMahon, to curate and create the best food pairings for our golden spirit of Ireland. With St Patrick’s Day around the corner, it’s a great way to get your drams aligned to superb food tastes for the celebrations ahead. So keep an eye on the following blog pages to absorb some of the best pairings curated by Jp.

Experimentation and an open mind are key when developing your whiskey and food pairing. It does not need to be complex and some of the best Irish food, from bread to cheese and charcuterie, need very little preparation.

It is as easy as slicing several cheese and meats and pairing them with a few whiskeys. Of course, more complex pairings also work but simplicity is key.

As your palate gets tired quickly, try not to pair too many different flavours together at once.

Bread and butter

Simplicity is key here. Good soda bread (or sourdough) and farmhouse butter is all you need to set up a simple food pairing that will delight you. Because of the density of the bread, and natural oiliness of the butter you need a whiskey that has sufficient texture to stand up to the bread, but also robust flavour delivery on the palate.

When tasting whiskey and different breads, butter the bread and cut it up into little squares. Lighter breads (such as white country loaf or batch bread) will pair better with single malts. More robust breads (such as wholemeal soda bread) work better with more mature whiskeys.

We often pair our whiskey with salt so ideally sea-salted butter on rye bread or wholemeal works beautifully alongside your glass of Lambay Whiskey.

Highlighted pairings

Lighter white soda bread will pair well with single malts or pot stills.
Try adding seeds to the soda bread (if baking in-house) to complement the nutty nature of mature, sherry-finished Irish whiskeys.
Peated whiskeys work well with wholegrain bread, such as rye and whole meal.
Due to the aged quality of whiskey, it is best to serve the whiskey with whole grain bread as opposed to white bread due to the hearty quality of the whiskey.
We recommend Lambay Small Batch Blend whiskey as your ideal bread & butter pairing , shop here.