Whiskies that pair well with mooncakes!
3MK's Whisky x Mooncake Pairings
This mid-autumn, try pairing your favorite mooncakes with some whisky for an unexpectedly excellent pairing!
Mid-autumn festival
With the mid-autumn festival upon us, you would have seen retailers start selling mooncakes everywhere.
The mid-autumn festival is also colloquially known as the mooncake festival, an apt name thanks to the copious consumption of the delectable pastry, mooncakes during the festive period!
No, we are not going to jump onto the bandwagon and start selling whisky-infused mooncakes like Glenfiddich...
But we are going to share some great whisky pairings that you should definitely try with your mooncakes!
Photo from Danielfooddiary
Pairings for different types
In 2022, there are a ton of different variations of mooncakes, from the traditional lotus paste baked mooncakes to the innovative snow skin mooncakes that can contain durians and even ice cream in them!
We will go through the best whiskies to pair with the most popular types of mooncakes & flavors to ensure that you have the best time sipping whisky to your favorite type of mooncake.
Baked Mooncakes
Most baked mooncakes are incredibly sweet, this means that a whisky that can help cut through this excessive sweetness will be the perfect pairing!
You want to look for whisky that is oaky and/or spicy to do so.
Something like the Aberlour 12 YO and Macallan 12 YO Double Cask is the perfect combination of oak and spice that will cut through the diabolically sweet baked mooncakes!
Another interesting whisky that is perfect for baked mooncakes is the Tomatin 12 YO Bourbon & Sherry Cask. The bourbon sweetness blends well with the sweetness of the mooncakes (kind of like denim on denim fashion done right) & the sherry spice in the whisky provides just the right amount of spice to offset the sweetness before it gets overwhelming.
Baked Mooncake Pairings
Aberlour 12 YO double cask, $120
The brilliant and ever popular Aberlour 12, known for being one of the best value Speyside malts; a deliciously rich and fruity bottle!
Macallan 12 YO triple Cask, $145
One of whisky's biggest names, this 12 YO bottle is matured in a combination of American and European Sherry Oak.
Tomatin 12 YO,
$120
A core bottle of the Tomatin range matured in Bourbon casks and finished for six-nine months in Oloroso Sherry cask.
SNOW SKIN MOONCAKES
Snow skin mooncakes have been gaining popularity rapidly over the years and for good reason! Snow skin mooncakes that are fridge-chilled tastes like the perfect dessert item.
The best type of whisky to pair with these chilled delights would be something that is light on the palate so that it does not overpower the snow skin mooncakes.
Some good whiskies that fit the bill would be the Ballantine's 17, Hakushu 12 YO & Royal Salute 21 YO!
These are light and smooth whiskies that will blend well and even complement the snow skin mooncakes.
Snow Skin Mooncake Pairings
Ballantine's 17 Yo, $120
Well balanced with hints of herbs, citrus and peat smoke. A well rounded and non-intrusive whisky.
Hakushu 12 YO,
$328
A wonderfully peated and herbaceous whisky from The Suntory Distillery that is fresh and light on the palate.
Royal Salute 21 YO, $210
A sophisticated blend that is fruit-forward with a rich medley of spices and nuttiness finishing off with hints of smoke.
Savory Mooncakes
These are mooncakes that have your favorite salted egg yolks and mixed nuts. These sinfully savory and delectable mooncakes actually pair well with many different types of whiskies.
Our favorite is pairing these mooncakes with peaty whiskies like the Bowmore 12 and Port Charlotte 10.
If you are not a fan of peaty whiskies, you can pair these savory goodness with a sweet and robust whisky like the Glenfiddich 18! This sweet and savory combination balances out the savory mooncakes which can sometimes be surfeiting.
Savory Mooncake Pairings
Bowmore 12 YO,
$78
The heart of the Bowmore range, the Bowmore 12 exhibits beautiful coastal notes with a gentle peat– a great introduction for beginners to peat.
Port Charlotte 10 YO, $139
This is the flagship expression of the Port Charlotte range by Bruichladdich. Peated to 40ppm, this will definitely satisfy the smoky whisky lovers!
Glenfiddich 18 YO, $175
This crowd favorite from Glenfiddich's core range features really rich vanilla and candied sweetness balanced out with their signature fruitiness and a hint of sherry spice.
