Sounds like a great plan, right? Lunch and whisky, in Wormerveer at ‘De Vijfde Smaak‘ (the fifth flavour) which is the town next to Krommenie. Fairly close, that is. I went with my father-in-law and tried to get tickets for brothers in law, but it was already sold out. It was a four course meal with five drams to accompany the food.

1st course:
Aberlour 2000, Adelphi at 55.8% with salmon ceviche. The whisky was very sweet with dried fruits and some barley. Quite strong to taste a 55.8% at 1 PM, but the salmon went very nicely with it. A contrasting taste with the food being quite acidic and savory.

Whisky: ****, Combination: ****

2nd course:
Bowmore 2001, Berry Brothers and Rudd at 54.3% with white asparagus and patanegra ham and a nutmeg crisp/cookie. The meal itself had some contrasting flavours, and each flavour did something different to the whisky. All together it was a bit of a jumble, but nice nonetheless. The Bowmore wasn’t too flowery with no FWP to speak of.

Whisky: ***, Combination: ***

3rd course:
Rib-eye steak with fennel and yorkshire pudding, with a haggis sauce. The whisky was a Bunnahabhain 2000 at 59.8%, bottled by Adelphi and heavily sherried. The yorkshire pudding leveled out the sweetness of the whisky and displayed Bunnahabhain’s more spicy and nutty flavours, while the meat highlighted the sherry. The fennel didn’t do much for either the food or the whisky. Pretty kick-ass steak though. Especially since I hadn’t had any red meat since February, the misses being pregnant and such!

Whisky: ****, Combination: ***

4th course:
Cranachan with Wemyss ‘Well mannered mint’, which is a Laphroaig from 1999 (46%). This was an exceptional combination. The Cranachan was surprisingly light and it completely kicked out the smoke on the palate, only to have it kick back in the finish. A very nice combination and the fresh mint from both the food and the whisky tied everything together.

Whisky: ***, Combination: ****

Coffee, brownie and Drinks & Gifts’ own bottling of Macduff 2000 (by David Stirk). A very nice whisky and a very nice brownie. The whisky will be reviewed later, when I open my bottle. It’s still available and highly recommended though!

Whisky: ****, Combination: (a very easy one, of course) ****

All whiskies are available at Drinks & Gifts, imported by Whisky Import Nederland. Eating at ‘De Vijfde Smaak‘ in Wormerveer is also highly recommended!