Whiskey and Cheese Pairing: What to Serve With Each Style

The spirit is too strong for delicate cheeses, so the pairing rewards bold flavors on both sides.

Why it works is mostly fat and sugar. Fat from the cheese coats your tongue and softens the alcohol's bite, so the whiskey tastes rounder. Barrel-aged whiskey picks up flavor compounds from oak, including a coconut-scented one called whisky lactone (Wikipedia), alongside caramel, vanilla and toast, and aged cheeses have their own caramelized, nutty flavors, so the two can echo each other. Alcohol aimed at adults only: this page is for guests of legal drinking age.

Whiskey and cheese pairing at a glance

This whiskey and cheese pairing table matches each style to cheeses, as guidance.

Bourbon and cheese

Bourbon and cheese is the friendliest whiskey pairing because bourbon is sweet. By US law, bourbon must be made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn and aged in new, charred oak containers, according to the rules summarized in Wikipedia's bourbon entry (27 CFR 5.143). New charred oak is what gives the caramel and vanilla.

Aged Gouda is the standout partner: its butterscotch and crystalline crunch pair with bourbon's sweetness. Aged cheddar and Gruyère also work. A creamy blue like Stilton puts sweet against salty, in the same way a dessert wine does.

Scotch and cheese

Scotch and cheese depends on the region in the bottle. Scotch must be matured in Scotland in oak casks of no more than 700 liters for at least three years and bottled at 40% alcohol by volume or higher, according to the Scotch whisky entry summarizing the 2009 regulations.

Speyside single malts range from rich to fragrantly floral, with sweet, caramel and fruity notes, and suit Gruyère and Comté. Southern Islay whiskies are described as saturated with peat smoke, brine and iodine; they need a strong cheese, such as a blue or a sharp, crumbly aged cheddar, to stay in balance. A mild cheese is simply overwhelmed, and a very sweet cheese fights the smoke. If you only buy one cheese for a smoky Scotch, make it a firm, salty blue or a crumbly aged cheddar, then add a drop of water to the glass if the peat feels too sharp against it.

Irish whiskey, rye and other whiskey and cheese matches

Irish whiskey and rye widen the whiskey and cheese pairing options. Irish whiskey is typically smoother and lighter, so it needs milder aged cheeses and suits Irish cheddar. Rye is spicier and works with bold, savory cheeses and aged cheddar.

Whiskey with an "e" and whisky without one are the same family: "whiskey" is the standard spelling in Ireland and the United States, and "whisky" is used in Scotland and most other producing countries. Peaty Scotch gets its smoke from peat burned to dry the malted grain. Treat them the same at the table: match by sweetness, smoke and strength, not spelling.

How to taste whiskey and cheese together

How to taste whiskey and cheese together is simple, and a few habits matter more than the bottles.

1. Pick two or three whiskeys of different styles, such as a bourbon, a Speyside and an Islay, and two or three cheeses, such as aged Gouda, cheddar and a blue.
2. Pour about half an ounce of each. A larger pour dulls your palate by the third round.
3. Taste the cheese first, then sip, then taste the cheese again to see how it changes.
4. Add a few drops of water to a strong whiskey to open it up.
5. Keep water and plain crackers on the table, and let the cheese warm up on the counter first. The cheese board guide covers amounts and order, and plan on about 2 ounces of cheese per person.

For anyone not drinking, the non-alcoholic pairings page covers other drinks to match with the same cheeses. If you prefer other drinks, see the wine and cheese pairing guide.

Whiskey and cheese pairing mistakes to avoid

Whiskey and cheese pairing mistakes mostly come from picking cheese that is too gentle.

• Fresh or mild cheese with strong whiskey. The whiskey drowns it. Use aged, savory or blue cheeses.
• Peaty Scotch with sweet cheese. Smoke and sweetness clash. Keep Islay for blue and sharp cheddar.
• Big pours. Pairing is about contrast between sips, not volume.
• Cheese straight from the fridge. Cold mutes flavor; bring it to cool room temperature.

Questions about whiskey and cheese pairing

These whiskey and cheese pairing questions are the ones readers ask most.

What cheese goes with bourbon?

Cheese for bourbon is aged Gouda first, then aged cheddar, Gruyère and blue cheese, because bourbon's caramel and sweetness match or offset them.

What cheese goes with Scotch?

Cheese for Scotch depends on the style: Gruyère or Comté for a sweet Speyside, and blue or sharp cheddar for a smoky Islay.

Does whiskey go with blue cheese?

Whiskey with blue cheese is a good match when the whiskey is sweet, like bourbon, or smoky and strong, like Islay Scotch, because both can hold up to the salt.

What cheese goes with Irish whiskey?

Cheese for Irish whiskey is a mild aged cheddar or an Irish cheese, since the whiskey is smooth and light.

Should you drink whiskey neat with cheese?

Whiskey neat with cheese is fine, and a few drops of water can open a strong bottle up. Choose what tastes best to you.

Your next whiskey and cheese pairing

For your next whiskey and cheese pairing, buy a bourbon, a wedge of aged Gouda and a wedge of blue cheese. Taste each with each, then add a Scotch to see how smoke changes the cheese.