Every whisky connoisseur is familiar with the beautiful Isle of Islay in southern Scotland. For some, the home of the peatiest single malts is the non plus ultra that the Scottish whisky market has to offer, others, mostly beginners in the world of usghe beatha, are cautiously approaching the powerful smokiness of Islay Single Malts. There is a persistent rumor that such smoky, peaty Islay Whiskies would only appeal to the male clientele and it is true that in the masculine predominates in the general perception. Nevertheless, more and more female whisky lovers are convinced that peatiness does not equal lack of elegance or complexity!
Laphroaig Ten
One of the most iconic representatives of the peat bomb genus, the “Ten” is also the entry into the portfolio of the Laphroaig Distillery which is situated in the south of Islay. Here, with a view of the Atlantic, Whisky has been produced since 1815. When the last member of the founding family, Ian Hunter, passed away in 1954 without an heir, he bequeathed the distillery to Bessie Williamson, who had led Laphroaig at his side for a long time and even through the troubled period of WWII. She ran the distillery for 13 years as owner and another 5 years as manager before retiring in 1972.
The Laphroaig 10 bottling is a creation by Ian Hunter and has been produced in his spirit since the 1920s. Very strong peat, a touch of the freshness of the sea, but still with a delicate sweetness in the finish.
Food pairing with Peat
One way to enter the realm of smoky malts is the pairing with food. That the peatiness of Islay Whisky goes well with aromatic cheese, such as long-matured mountain cheese, or the English Blue Stilton, and also with dark chocolate, particularly if it contains a little sea salt, is no longer a secret. For Laphroaig, Leopold Wrenkh, top restaurateur from Vienna, took up the challenge to adapt traditional Austrian recipes with the Scottish Single Malt. The result: creations such as coriander carp with Laphroaig perfume, duck breast fillet on whiskey vegetables, or baked apples with Laphroaig caramel.
And here, to recreate at home, the succulent dishes with Laphroaig by Wrenkh Restaurant & Kochsalon. Recommended pairing for all dishes: a glass of Laphroaig 10 Years Single Malt straight or on ice. The winning drink of the accompanying cocktail competition, Broadbay Superduck, goes perfectly with the duck breast fillet!
Duck breast fillet on Whisky Vegetables
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
2 pieces of duck breast fillet
300 g mixed root vegetables (carrot, yellow beet, etc.)
300 g oyster mushrooms
300 g red cabbage
4 thyme sprigs
Vegetable oil
6 cl Laphroaig single malt whisky
Preparation
Clean the root vegetables and cut into strips. Remove the stem of the oyster mushrooms, coarsely chop the stem and cap. Cut the red cabbage a little thinner than the root vegetables. Leave the skin of the duck intact and, depending on your preference, add salt before or after frying. Fry pink with a small drop of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes. Place in the preheated oven at 180C° top and bottom heat for 10-15 minutes. Then let it rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Briefly stir fry the beet vegetables and add the red cabbage. Fry them together over high heat until crisp. Add the oyster mushrooms, salt and pepper. Let the liquid evaporate. Flambé the whisky vegetables: pour a small shot of Laphroaig 10 Years over the vegetables over high heat and light them in the pan. Please keep enough distance to the flame. Important: use a pan with a large volume, not too full and free of liquid. Serve with a sprig of thyme.
Coriander carp with Laphroaig perfume
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
800 g Amur fillet (also works with regular carp)
600 g mixed root vegetables (carrots / yellow turnips, leeks, etc.)
80 g fresh coriander (a few twigs)
800-1000 ml vegetable stock or water
2 cm ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Laphroaig single malt whisky
Preparation
Peel and clean the vegetables and ginger, with organic vegetables cook the skins to a vegetable stock by covering with water and letting simmer for approx. 35 minutes. Cut the vegetables into julienne strips. Add the ginger and approx. 1 cl Laphroaig single malt to the finished stock, briefly bring to the boil again. Put in vegetables, put in carp fillets, simmer for approx. 3-5 minutes, season with salt. Before serving, add the coriander sprigs and drizzle with sesame oil.
Crispy leg of goose with Laphroaig gravy, red cabbage and potato dumplings
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
4 pcs. goose or duck legs
500 ml poultry stock
1 pc. organic orange, small
1 pc cinnamon
2 pieces of allspice or cloves
2 cl Laphroaig single malt whisky
Preparation
Enrich the poultry stock with 2 cl Laphroaig single malt, a little salt and bring to the boil. Squeeze the orange juice into the stock, add the peel and spices. Let the goose legs soak in the boiling stock for approx. 10 minutes. Remove and drain. Strain the stock and reduce (to about 1/3 of the amount). Tie with a tablespoon of Maizena or roux (50g flour / 40g butter) and set aside.
Put the legs in the preheated oven at 150°C. First 30 minutes skin side down and then another 30 minutes skin side up. If the skin is not crispy enough, sizzle for another 10-15 minutes at 190°C. Keep warm at approx. 90°C and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes. Serve the legs with dumplings and / or red cabbage.
Beef ribs with Laphroaig 10 glace on black cabbage and paprika vegetables
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
1 kg of beef ribs
300 ml beef glace
600 g black cabbage
2 red peppers, preferably pointed peppers
2 cloves of garlic
Laphroaig single malt whisky
Preparation
Divide the ribs piece by piece and push them into the oven at 150°C top / bottom heat 4 x 20 minutes (turn every 20 minutes, total 80 minutes). Wash vegetables. Peel the garlic and finely chop it. Clean and roughly cut the black cabbage. Hollow and roughly cut the pepper. Fry in olive oil until the skin blisters. Add black cabbage and fry for about 1 minute, add garlic and fry for 1 more minute. Twist and set aside until the ribs are done. Keep the finished ribs warm in the oven at 100°C. Heat the beef glace with a good 1-2 cl. Laphroaig single malt to taste. Warm up the vegetables and season with salt. Serve the ribs on the vegetables and pour glace over them.
Baked apple with Laphroaig caramel
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
4 apples
4 sticks of cinnamon
40 g butter
50 ml cream
4 cl Laphroaig single malt whisky
120 g of sugar
Preparation
Apples: preheat oven to 140°C (top / bottom heat). Hollow the apples and replace the cores with a cinnamon stick. If you don’t have a corer, you can cut into it with a knife and insert the cinnamon stick. Since the caramel is very sweet, the unsweetened apples are placed in the oven for at least 25 minutes, depending on the size they can take 10 minutes longer.
Caramel: Heat Laphroaig single malt, cream, sugar and butter in a pan until the mixture has a pleasantly creamy consistency. Pour over warm apples. Enjoy!
Laphroaig Winter Kitchen: The Austria-wide bartender competition
As part of the first Laphroaig Bartender Competition, Austria’s leading peaty-smoky single malt whisky awarded creative bartenders throughout Austria and their food pairing ideas with Laphroaig. The creations were evaluated by a jury of specialists: Gerhard Tsai, bartender and owner of the boutique bar Tür 7 in Vienna, top chef and restaurant owner Karl Wrenkh, as well as Martin Fröhlich, Sales Manager Beam Suntory. The winning cocktail was created by Mario Nestlehner from Darwin‘s, Salzburg. With his cocktail “Broadbay Superduck” he scooped the prize money of € 750.00 as well as a video production together with Leopold and Karl Wrenkh. David Penker, Bar Campari Vienna, won silver with “The Dawn Cocktail”. Johanna Luger, like the winner bartender at Darwin’s, ranked third with “Hobbitcore”.
The winning drink: Broadbay Superduck
4cl Laphroaig 10 Years
5cl Zweigelt
2cl beetroot juice
3cl apple juice
1cl apple syrup
1 small sprig of thyme
Chill the cocktail shaker and the guest glass. Smash the thyme sprig and place in the shaker. Pour all liquids into the shaker. Close the shaker and shake vigorously. Strain the cocktail twice and pour it into the guest glass (coupette). Garnish the rim of the glass with a sprig of thyme and apply beetroot powder to the resulting foam of the drink. The professional does this with the template in the outline of a duck – easy to make yourself by cutting out the shape of a duck on paper and placing it loosely over the glass before sprinkling the beetroot powder over the glass.
The inspiration for Broadbay Superduck
Mario Nestlehner: “The inspiration for the“ Broadbay Superduck ”cocktail was the fourth season, the cold winter time, when the warming properties of thyme and beetroot are in the foreground. The red wine forms the bridge between the whisky and the other ingredients such as the beetroot, the apple juice and the thyme, because it harmonizes incredibly well with Laphroaig 10 and is therefore an important component in the overall balance of the drink.”
The dish that goes best with this cocktail is the duck. Karl Wrenkh: “The duck breast fillet is seared pink for a very short time and then supplemented with red cabbage, mushrooms and root vegetables in a purist, seasonal fashion. There is also thyme, which reminds of the ingredient in the cocktail and which perfectly rounds off our winter vegetables. The ensemble is then flambéed – not because of the show effect, but in this case really because we can achieve a nice roasted aroma like that and thus get the peaty-smoky aroma of Laphroaig into the vegetables.
Tasting Notes for Laphroaig 10 Years
Color: shiny gold
Aroma: Intense smoke, notes of seaweed, “medicinal”, with a slight sweetness
Taste: surprising sweetness with notes of salt and peat
Finish: Long-lasting
Elegant, pure and incomparably peaty and smoky – Laphroaig is the perfect accompaniment to all winter dishes and also gives the traditional carp or the crispy leg of goose the final – and very special touch! Leopold Wrenkh: “With a special, incomparable and distinctive whisky like Laphroaig, we can accompany traditional winter delicacies from Austrian cuisine in a unique way.”
Photo credit for Laphroaig Winter Kitchen: © DIVISION4, David Plomberger