Inspired by favourite memories of baking, birthdays and more, Glenmorangie’s multiple award-winning Director of Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, found himself musing over how those joyful memories could be encapsulated in a single malt whisky.
He experimented by finishing Glenmorangie in Tokaji dessert wine casks. Skilfully layering their sweet, honeyed notes with Glenmorangie’s smooth, fruity character, Dr Bill created Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.
So delicious is this limited edition whisky’s flavours of honey, white chocolate and fruit, that award-winning New York based pastry chef extraordinaire Dominique Ansel dreamt up a cake and cocktail pairing – a “CakeTail” menu – in its honour.
Dr Bill said: “Like so many of us, some of my favourite memories come from cake, whether it be helping my granny in her kitchen, or the pineapple birthday cake my daughter surprised me with one year.
“By finishing whisky in Tokaji wine casks, I’ve captured the joy of those indulgent cake moments in Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.
“The liquid is a rich copper, but the taste is pure technicolour, luscious, sweet and complex with multi-layered bursts of honey, white chocolate and fruits with a hint of mint.
“As you might expect, it tastes incredible when enjoyed with actual cake, so it’s fantastic to see Dominique bring it to life with CakeTails.”
Here’s a CakeTail pairing recipe to try at home.
Eat: Dominique’s take on a pineapple boat cake celebrates the whisky’s delightfully sweet, fruity tastes in mini sandwich-style cakes made from slices of almond sponge soaked in a whisky syrup and layered with fresh pineapple and a brown sugar ganache.
Drink: The Cake Old Fashioned (at home version)
Ingredients:
50 ml Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake
7.5 ml coconut water
7.5 ml pineapple syrup
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 pinch black pepper
Method: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass over block/cubed ice.
Garnish with a twist of orange zest and a walnut.