Mother’s Day Cheeseboard with a Wee Dram

There’s no hard and fast rule to lean pink and sparkling on Mother’s Day. A whisky-loving mom, can celebrate the day with a cheese board crafted to pair with her favorite sip. In past pairing stories, we have explored various kinds of whisky and discovered some real winners. In fact, to make Sequatchie Cove’s Creamery’s Shakerag Blue the cheese is wrapped in fig leaves that have been soaked in Chattanooga Whiskey. Mixologist Fitz Bailey recommends Coopers' Craft Barrel Reserve Bourbon to pair with a smoked gouda or Finnish leipäjuusto with a straight Kentucky bourbon. For the whiskey cocktail fan, Comté and an Old Fashioned comes highly recommended by cheese book author and expert Tenaya Darlington.

But a dram of whisky and cheese can make a great pairing too. The varieties of whiskies fall into four distinct and flavorful categories. From smooth, honeyed Irish whiskeys and oaky, caramel bourbons to spicy ryes and peated Scotch whiskies, the aromas and flavors are varied and nuanced, which provide for a wide assortment of pairing opportunities with myriad cheeses.

Pairing whisky and cheese

For a springtime Mother’s Day whisky and cheese board, choose your spirit first. Look to the gifts of the holiday and the freshness of the season for inspiration. Think flowers, fruit, cakes, and brunch tipples. Pour a smooth, triple-distilled whisky touched by berries and citrus, such as Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky, Cuvée Gaia. The Cuvée Gaia is Waterford’s pioneering organic cuvée. It has aromas of honey, rich malted barley, dark berries, and fresh pine forest, with flavors of syrupy sponge cake, golden peach, and white pepper. The texture is smooth and chewy with a long-lasting finish, intertwined with honey and jammy fruit.

Use the whisky’s aromas and tasting notes to direct your cheese choices:

Pair a smooth Irish whiskey with a creamy brie-style or milky soft rind cheese. Brebirousse D’Argental is made from pasteurized young ewe’s milk. Its signature orange rind is infused with annatto, yielding to a creamy ivory paste with a subtle milky, sweet flavor that complements the honey notes in the whisky.

Choose a tangy cheese to balance the creamy, syrupiness of the whiskey. Valley Ford’s Estero Gold Reserve is a raw-milk cheese made in the style of an Asiago. When aged at 6 months, its grassy and fruity. As the cheese continues to age it hardens and becomes more flavorful, sharp, and nutty with notes of salt and crystals.

Select a sweet and unctuous blue cheese with a hint of piquancy to complement the pepper and honey notes in the whiskey. Gorgonzola dolce is an Italian pasteurized cow’s milk cheese that is soft and luxurious with a subtle tang to cut through the sweet, creaminess of the whiskey.

Ingredients for a mother’s day cheese board

To take the board from snack to meal, provide soft, supple prosciutto slices, a creamy duck mousse, or a mild pork pâté to complement the smooth whiskey. Keep the board presentation light and bright. Provide fresh baguette slices and earthy crackers for spreading the cheese. Accompany with fresh fruit and berries, nuts, and chocolate and decorate with fresh herbal sprigs and flowers. Think pretty: It’s Mother’s Day, after all!