The team at the Village Anchor Pub & Roost is partnering with spirits and travel writer Susan Reigler to create a dinner and whiskey exploration series dubbed Whisk(e)y Five. The goal is to expand local bourbon lovers’ knowledge of the broad whiskey spectrum by pairing international whiskeys poured neat and served alongside executive chef Henry Wesley’s food.
The first in the series is a Scotch dinner scheduled for Thursday, June 15 at 6 p.m. The meal will showcase three single malts from three different regions of Scotland and two blended whiskys (the Scotts don’t spell whiskey with an “e” like all others elsewhere do).
Reigler will set guests’ baseline with a pour of bourbon to establish a flavor contrast with the Scotches that follow. Reigler has done food and whiskey cocktail pairings, but she expects these straight whiskeys pairing will enlighten the palates of those eager to learn their virtues.
“What I’m hoping to do is help people pay attention to the flavors already in those whiskeys so they can learn how they’re amplified with food,” said Reigler, also the author of multiple books on spirits. “They’ll also see how the whiskey helps the food.”
The evening’s menu includes:
- Smoked salmon mousse on crostini; bourbon-braised pork belly with pickled red cabbage; flight of Old Forester 86 proof, Chivas Regal 10 Year and Johnnie Walker Black
- Arugula and watermelon salad with Laphroaig 10 Year
- Roasted lamb chop, rosemary fingerling potatoes, poached pear and roasted broccolini with Talisker 10 Year
- Buttermilk panna cotta with spiced apple Chantilly cream with Glenlivet 12 Year
The cost of the Scotch dinner is $75—a figure that would total less than the actual cost of tasting all those whiskeys at a bar—plus tax and gratuity. Reserve two or more dinners for a cost of $65 each, or really broaden your palate while a lot by reserving your spot for the whole series at a cost of $295—just $59 per dinner. The remaining dinners and their dates are:
- July 6 – Rye whiskey
- July 27 – International whiskey
- August 17 – Irish whiskey
- September 7 – Bourbon from states other than Kentucky
Call 502-708-1850 to reserve your spot, or email Merritt Mowery at merritt@bellenoble.com.