12 Whiskeys To Pair With Chocolate

One of the world's most beloved alcoholic beverages, with a name that quite literally used to mean "water of life," whiskey is a spirit that can have limitless expressions based on how and where it was produced. Scotland, Ireland, Japan, and the United States. are all famous for their distinct styles with unique histories, but whiskey's nuances can sometimes make it difficult to pair with chocolate without some preparation.

In case you haven't tried the combination yet, a square of chocolate can be the perfect partner to the right dram, but it can also completely unbalance a whiskey's taste if not chosen properly. A whiskey that's too bold will overpower lighter chocolates, while an intense chocolate can have the same effect on a more delicate whiskey. Depending on the whiskey, you can also have a multitude of characteristics that need to be considered — fruit, spice, nuts, oak, smoke, peat, and even seaweed might be notes you need to factor into your chocolate choice. To help ease you into the art of whiskey and chocolate pairing, we've chosen twelve diverse whiskeys from across the globe that not only taste incredible on their own, but match perfectly with specific types of chocolate.

Compared to the sweet, approachable Blanton's, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a force to be reckoned with. Before whiskey is bottled, it's normally diluted to lower the alcohol content and make it more palatable, but if it's labeled as "barrel proof," it's been bottled at the same strength it came out of the cask.

This means Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has an alcohol-by-volume (ABV) of 66.5%, so it might not be the best choice for someone not used to drinking neat spirits. Fortunately, the quality of Elijah Craig whiskey means its higher alcohol content works in its favor, offering a bold nose of butterscotch and charred oak. The rye in the mash bill is also more pronounced, adding aromas of orange and apple, and touches of dried fruit, cinnamon spice, and pepper on the palate.

Something to remember when pairing alcohol with food is that fattier foods give our mouth and tongue a lipid coating. This coating works like a barrier, making higher-fat foods ideal for tempering drinks with intense flavors, like high-proof whiskey or acidic wines. Generally, white and dark chocolates have the highest fat content; however, white chocolate will likely get overpowered by this particular bourbon. Go for rich and dark, but pick a chocolate with dried orange or berries that will complement Elijah Craig's fruity and spicy elements.

Moving across the Atlantic, it's time to take a look at scotch whisky, one of the oldest and most diverse styles in the world. While American whiskeys use corn, rye, and wheat in their mash, scotch whiskies primarily use barley, and single malt scotches can solely use malted barley. However, despite using a single type of grain, scotches vary hugely in their flavor profiles. While there are exceptions to the rule, most scotch styles are distinct to one of six regions: Islay, Islands, Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown, and Speyside. Lagavulin 16 Year Old is one of the most classic expressions of powerful Islay single-malt, and it can pair fantastically with chocolate.

Islay — an island off the southwest coast of mainland Scotland — has a reputation for malting their barley with burning peat, a type of bog moss, resulting in intensely smoky, earthy whiskies. The maritime climate also plays a part, imparting Islay scotches with hints of oil, seaweed, and salty sea air. Lagavulin 16 Year Old is a peat bomb that embodies these characteristics in abundance, with layers of brine and campfire smoke that give way to dried fruit. To balance these flavors, pick chocolate with sweet, but powerful, ingredients like burnt toffee or caramel, or try pairing it with soft truffles to take the heat out of Lagavulin's lengthy and intense aftertaste.

Jura whisky shares its name with the island it comes from adjacent and northeast of Islay. Although Islay is considered its own whisky-producing region, other island-made scotches are simply considered to be from the "Island" region. Like Islay whiskies, Island whiskies share some coastal characteristics, like an oily mouthfeel and touches of salinity, and the region's producers are no strangers to peat either. Island whiskies can vary widely in their style — Scotland has no shortage of islands after all — and the Jura 10 Year Old single malt is considerably more approachable than its Islay cousins.

The peat and spice is present in Jura 10 Year Old but it's far more subtle, allowing green fruit flavors like apple and pear to come forward, alongside raisin and vanilla. As a result, you don't have to pair it with darker chocolates to avoid flavors being lost, and even white chocolate should let Jura's flavors shine though. However, the whisky's fruit notes do benefit from being matched with nutty varieties, especially hazelnut. If nuts aren't your thing, the citrus element from orange chocolate — or chocolate truffles filled with orange creme — can also make the apple and pear notes more pronounced.

Like the Lowland region, Campbeltown distilleries also faced challenges in their history that heavily reduced the number of producers in the area. Founded back in 1828, the Springbank Distillery is now one of only three that still exist in the region. If you look at the Campbeltown region on a map, you'll notice it's a coastal town and seaport, so we can expect its single malts to have similar qualities to Islay and Island whiskies: an oily texture with notes of seaweed and salt. However, whiskies like Springbank 10 Year Old tend to be much lighter on the peat and smoke, which allows honeycomb and toffee to burst through, alongside touches of fruit and baking spice, before a briny finish.

Springbank 10 Year Old might not be as intense as Lagavulin or Laphroaig in terms of overpowering elements, but it still packs plenty of complex flavors and a sweetness from being aged in bourbon and sherry casks. It's best to keep things simple here — opt for a high-quality bar of creamy milk chocolate and let the whisky do the heavy lifting.

While it's impossible to pin down the precise origins of whiskey, the earliest written evidence points toward the Irish, and we know they were the first to start exporting it globally. However, despite a shared Celtic heritage and close geographic proximity, there are noticeable differences between Irish whiskey and scotch. The main difference is that Irish whiskeys are triple rather than double-distilled. This means they're usually smoother with more orchard fruit notes, like peach, pear, and apple. Additionally, while single malt scotch has to be made with 100% malted barley, Irish whiskeys are allowed more diversity in their malt bill. A single pot still Irish whiskey, Redbreast adds unmalted barley along with the malted grains.

The original reasoning for this was to avoid an 18th-century tax the British Crown had implemented on malted barley, but the style stuck around. The unmalted grain alters the flavor profile of Irish whiskey, adding elements of spice and citrus, and forming a creamier mouthfeel.Redbreast 12 Year Old uses a 50/50 split of malted and unmalted barley from a single still, making it a rich and complex expression of Irish whiskey. Its flavor is almost like Christmas cake, with notes of baking spices, nuts, and dried fruit. Redbreast also has a balanced sweetness thanks to maturation in both bourbon and sherry casks, so a darker chocolate with candied ginger is the ultimate pairing with Redbreast's festive flavorings.

Although once overlooked by whiskey connoisseurs, Japanese whisky has become one of the most sought-after varieties in recent years, leading to both a shortage of supply, and an increase in price. Nikka is one of the most highly-regarded names in the Japanese whisky business, and their The Nikka 12 Year Old is a superb expression of the Japanese whisky style. Japanese whisky-making is unapologetically influenced by Scottish distillers, so they share many characteristics, with the notable exception of heavy peat. The Nikka's Scottish influence is noticeable in its complexity, and a balance of flavors including apple, pear, and plum, and hints of oak.

The sweeter profile of The Nikka means it can pair fantastically with a bar of creamy milk chocolate that complements the soft orchard fruit elements, but there's a more interesting and flavorful option available. Sticking with the theme of Japanese cuisine, a matcha green tea-flavored white chocolate introduces a unique, bittersweet grassiness into the mix, plus it adds a touch of umami that's balanced out by the extra sweetness of the chocolate style.