When Martine Nouet first began mixing whisky into her food writing, there was a collective gasp from editors and whisky executives alike. Who did this French woman think she was? But her dogged study of whisky earned her the respect of Michael Jackson, who recommended her to Whisky Magazine. Countless columns later, the reine de l’alambic was not only the only journalist in France exclusively dedicated to spirits, but also the editor in chief of the magazine, the originator of a French version, and author of numerous books including Les routes des Malts, À table: whisky from glass to plate and several volumes of Le Guide Hachette des Whiskies. A Master of the Quaich, her work opened up a new audience for whisky on both sides of the still. Recently, Fowwaz Ansari caught her via video call at her childhood home in Normandy, France, where she explained how she brought whisky to the dining table and led the way for women in whisky.
Fowwaz How did you end up writing about food and whisky?
I have never been a professional chef, but I have loved cooking since I was a little girl. I was lucky enough to be born into a very food-focused family; my grannies, aunties and mother all had me helping out in the kitchen from a young age. I started writing about food in Paris over 40 years ago. Later I discovered Scotch whisky and was taken by it – the liquid as well as the culture in Scotland that surrounds it. [But] being a total foodie, I did not want to give up food, and thought to myself; what if I tried to pair single malt whisky and food?
How was the idea received?
This was in the early 1990s, and, at this time, whisky companies were not interested. Even to the point where they were horrified at my suggestion that you could bring a bottle of malt to the dinner table and enjoy it with a meal, and even use it in your cooking!
It took me nearly 10 years to convince them. In Paris I started offering classes on cooking with malt whisky on a microscopic scale. I would get in touch with whisky distributors and brands and ask them if they could give me one bottle to use for dinner. Once they found out I was going to use it to pair with a meal (and god forbid they find out I was using it in the cooking process), they were horrified at the idea of it! Stating that their whisky was too good to be used in cooking, I responded by saying that my cooking is too good to not use the best ingredients! I explained that I use whisky in the dish like a spice and it would act as a bridge between the food and the drink.
Classes would consist of six to seven people and we would begin with tasting a whisky and working out a menu using said tasting notes. To demonstrate to the whisky distributors that I am not harming the spirit, I am making it more accessible and introducing the spirit to people in a more approachable format, I invited them to the dinners to allow them to taste what we had been making.
Through my writing, and by hosting many classes at whisky festivals where we paired seafood and whisky, cheese and whisky, and so on, I finally convinced them.
What does whisky bring to the table that wine cannot?
If you take cheese for instance, traditionally people would say you drink wine. But some cheeses are very difficult to pair with wine. If you take an old Comté or gouda, with crystallisation and very rich and deep flavours and fruitiness, I cannot imagine a single wine that would pair with it as well as an older age statement, heavily sherried whisky. I remember pairing a four-year-old Dutch Gouda, which was crumbly, salty and full of rich fruit, with a heavily sherried 40-year-old Glenfarclas. The pairing was incredible – you wanted to keep it in your mouth for the whole day. To this day no wine and food pairing has even come close to this.
I also think whisky is more versatile – there is more range of flavour – and you can play with it much better, provided that you do not use garlic in your pairing, as it slays the whisky.
How do you develop whisky pairings?
I have always been a bit different in my approach to whisky and my approach to tasting as well. The way I would present my tastings, even in the absence of food, would be a sensory approach as opposed to a technical approach. Rather than going into the distillation techniques, ppm, washes, fermentation, and other technicalities of whisky production, I simply ask my guests to receive the whisky, and the emotion they can get through tasting the whisky. You can find technical information in books, online articles, and many more resources, but what you will not find in those resources is the way your body reacts to the whisky and how your emotions are expressed.
When I was a food writer, I had about 16 pages to fill every month about chefs. The big article would be Le marché de chef (the chef’s market). I would follow a chef on his trip to the farmers’ market, meet his producers and then we would go back to the kitchen and I would get the chance to see how he processed his shopping first-hand.
Getting to know these chefs personally was a great advantage for me, as when I would meet a new chef, I gained a new level of knowledge of culinary techniques and styles which meant that even if the chef did not know anything about whisky, we would be able to achieve a fantastic dinner.
I have also paired whisky with more than just food, I have hosted tasting sessions where we pair whisky to art, or whisky to music. During whisky festivals, I have worked with musicians and hosted tastings where we listen to different music depending on the whisky that is in the glass.
One very special memory is a tasting that I hosted where we gave our attendees a blank canvas and a glass of whisky, I presented the whisky and within 15 minutes they painted said whisky.
Do you have any favourite, simple whisky and food pairings?
That is incredibly difficult as I have so many wonderful memories of food and whisky pairings, but one that is special to me is having oysters with a few drops of Laphroaig, sitting on a rock, looking at the sea. That was a complete and total immersion into the world of whisky and food.
But for comfort, one I can always come back to is whisky and chocolate. There is so much complexity and range within both of them individually that there is a whole world to explore there within itself.
Can you give us some advice on pairing whisky and food?
Always start with the whisky: taste the whisky and let it lead you into your bridge between the food and whisky.
Simplicity is key; do not involve too many flavours. I always work in a triangular style: there is a main flavour and two side flavours, which each complement or contrast against the main.
The key is to keep things simple, let the whisky sing, and just have fun.
And how should you taste whiskey?
When tasting whisky, I use all of my senses and try to encourage my guests to do the same. When you use all of your senses in a tasting, you allow the whisky to travel in your memories and bring up memories as far back as your childhood. To go back to your memories, and feel the emotions, to visualise colours and impressions.
Is there anything left on your whisky bucket list?
One thing I would love to do is more cooking. Cooking with whisky has always been a great pleasure, but I do believe that I truly have ventured in all the avenues I wanted to explore.
I wanted to do something deeper with Tasmanian distilleries; I wanted to host an event in Hobart which never came to fruition. Another project I would have loved to do is a fashion presentation – working with a stylist to pair fashion with whisky. I was even working with a French stylist on this project, but sadly I never got the chance to see this to completion.
But I have made the decision to no longer work in whisky, I am 73 years old and there have been numerous challenges in my life recently. I have returned to Normandy, France, where I was born. That is not to say I will not be doing anything, I will certainly work with French spirits and maybe even with whisky as well, but for the moment we will call it a sabbatical.
Whatever I have done throughout my career, not once did I think to myself ‘this is boring’, so in that respect, I truly consider myself a lucky girl.
Fowwaz Ansari was born in the UK but grew up in Pakistan before returning to attend university when he was 18. It was during his studies that he began bartending, landing a job at The Cafe Royal in Edinburgh. There, the 150+ bottles of single malt whiskies on its shelves sparked a curiosity that turned into a deep interest, which he pursued further at Johnnie Walker Princes Street. Currently, he's delved deep into the aperitivo side of the drinks world at Bittersweet Leith, but still maintains a deep interest in whisky at bar and table.
