2018 Burns Supper

Some hae meat an canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
And sae let the Lord be thankit.

Amuse Bouche
Ode to a Haggis
Traditionally prepared with lamb’s pluck, oats, and spices
Paired with:
66.95 Sweet Reek (61.0% ABV)
Reassuringly sweet with pink wafer biscuits and Turkish delight dusted with icing sugar and wrapped with a soft cloud of gentle smoke. More floral notes developed with violets, red roses and apple blossom that fused quite magnificently with malt extract and sticky cough mixture. The syrupy texture extended to the taste with a mouth-coating character now delivering liquorice sweets, overcooked blackcurrant jam and considerably spiced haggis that had been grilled until the edges had become crispy. The finish was substantial and irrepressible leaving a warm and sweet smoke reminiscent of pork crackling on the barbecue. ($156.90)

Salad Course
Duck Rilette & Roquefort
Baby beets, curly endive, focaccia melba toast, walnuts, red wine & grainy mustard vinaigrette
Paired with:
37.87 Puff Pastry Plum Tarts (58.8% ABV)
We entered a stately home and walked through the hall of marble white granite limestone, passing the armour’s gallery, downstairs to the kitchen with an open hearth. We were offered baked brie with apricot preserves and almonds as well as warm bread with sunflower seeds. After a drop of water the sweet smell of puff pastry plum tarts and apple strudel made us even hungrier and we enjoyed a sticky toffee loaf cake with fudge icing.  After 12 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky directly into a 1st fill charred ex-red wine hogshead for the remainder of its maturation. ($179.90)

Soup Course
Roasted Cauliflower
3 year old cheddar, oyster mushroom “crackling”, smoked chicken leg confit, thyme, aged sherry
Paired with:
46.47 Mexican Breakfast (59.8% ABV)
We started off with a Mexican breakfast: chili tomato stew with onions, garlic and bay leaves, fried eggs and cheese all wrapped in lightly fried corn tortillas and our ‘huevos rancheros’ was ready. In the taste we added fresh coriander leaves, ginger and turmeric and a semi-sweet hot chili sauce. With a drop of water, we remembered what we drank last night before we went to bed, a clove-y, gingery and cinnamon-y liqueur and a splash of Fernet Branca. After 13 years in an Oloroso sherry butt, we transferred this whisky directly into a 1st fill Pedro Ximenez butt for the remainder of its maturation. ($187.90)

Fish Course
Scallop & Bacon Cavatelli
Hand cranked ricotta dumplings, watercress & preserved lemon puree, black truffle cream, winter leeks, parmesan reggiano
Paired with:
4.227 Dreaming to Sounds of the Sea (58.0% ABV)
The nose embraced quintessentially coastal qualities with salt dusted rocks draped with dried seaweed and the occasional barnacle. The sea air carried the distant sweet smoke of burning heather and the even more fragrant whiff of dried lavender. Walking across the wet sand we dreamed of fresh seafood platters, laden with shrimps, smoked mussels, pickled cockles, dressed crab and oysters drizzled with lime juice vinaigrette. The palate was simultaneously juicy and mouthcoatingly oily with a creaminess reminiscent of porridge. The salty theme progressed into crispy tempura, seaweed rolls and sushi with wasabi and pickled ginger. Water released a salty tang like liquorice stick with dry herbal notes and sweet floral overtones. The finish was sweet with honey on burnt toast and malted barley. ($199.90)

Meat Course
Char Sui Pork Roast
48hr sous vide pork shoulder, Chinese bbq sauce, fried nori rice cake, broccolette, cinnamon & anise broth, citrus
Paired with:
3.300 Dirty Margarita on a Yacht (59.7% ABV)
This nose was maritime and malty (sipping Horlicks on a Calmac ferry) with apple-wood smoke, singed heather and traces of tar. The taste delivered intense bonfire smoke, lavender and parma violet candies, sweet sherry, pecan pie, bananas and porridge. With water we were afloat again – smelling the ocean from an oil-rig or barbecuing pork ribs on a yacht. The palate now bestowed bacon frazzles, balsamic, honey-glazed ribs, chocolate limes, ‘a dirty margarita’ (not a person, we were assured) and light perfumed smoke. After 17 years in bourbon wood we transferred this to a second-fill toasted oak hogshead (previously used for 35.147). (sold out)

Dessert Course
Chocolate & Banana Brownie
Caramelised bananas, peanut butter anglaise, banana gelato,
almond roccha
Paired with:
55.44 Honey on a Stradivarius (57.1% ABV)
We sniffed – and imagined putting treacle tarts into spice cupboards; we imagined serving Baklava in cigar boxes; we imagined pouring honey over a Stradivarius. The palate continued that duality of mouth-flooding sweetness(sticky toffee, syrup, blackstrap molasses) with coy wood-spices (orange peel, nutmeg, fenugreek, ginger, chili, cinnamon, clove). With water, our noses were tickled by tea chests and white pepper – and we served Calvados and Grand Marnier to thirsty weavers at their looms. The reduced palate had chocolate, caramel and Marsala – warming and delicious. After 15 years in ex-bourbon wood we transferred this to a first-fill French oak hogshead. ($198.90)