When James Cordiner presented a cheese and whisky tasting flight in Skillet at 163, there were those present who did a brief double-take. Only a true Scot born and raised in Speyside could have pulled off something that unusual, but as the new Regional Brand Ambassador for The Balvenie in South East Asia, Cordiner managed it with aplomb.
Extolling the virtues of four of The Balvenie’s whiskies, the 27-year-old whisky enthusiast used a selection of Milky Whey cheese to illustrate his appreciation for uisge beatha (‘whisky’ in Gaelic). The Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood, for instance, was paired with a smoked Melaka cheese, while a semi-hard Cantal-style RIK teased the rum notes out of the 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask. The 17 Year Old DoubleWood did an admirable job of standing up to a pungent Jade Blue cheese, just as the fruity undertones of the 21 Year Old PortWood helped cut the heavy texture of a triple-cream Alba brie.
