Most whiskey pairing dinners tend to involve multiple expressions of the same brand. However, thanks to Chocha Foodstore’s collaboration with Brown Forman, the menu is paired with four very different whiskeys from three brands – Benriach, Glenglassaugh, Glendronach – making it a great way to try a few new whiskeys whilst enjoying a good dinner at the same time. .

The menu consists of sharing plates for four people (it can also be customized for two people) and showcases Chocha’s unique approach to local Malaysian ingredients.

We started with the Benriach 10 Year Old, aka “The Original Ten”, which is aged in three barrels for at least ten years: bourbon barrels, sherry barrels and virgin oak. The result is a rich Spetside malt with lots of fruity honey malt notes and a hint of smoke.

The whiskey came with a trio of starters and worked very differently with each of them. The softer, fruitier notes of the whiskey enhance the herbaceous notes of Tempura Kadok; while also complementing the jackfruit flavors of the Temosa lamb.

It increased the spiciness of the gulai for the Cherry Valley duck leg confit, but otherwise complemented the duck meat quite well.

Glenglassaugh Sendend went well with the Umai (bottom right) and roasted beans with petai, asparagus, winged beans and okra.

The next pairing with Glenglassaugh Sendend was more adventurous. Inspired by the crescent beach of Sandend Bay where the distillery resides, the whiskey is aged in bourbon, sherry and manzanilla casks and features a tropical sweetness, infused with a hint of sea salt.

The 50.5% ABV whiskey was quite fruity with maritime notes and worked surprisingly well with the unique Banana Blossom With Gulai Tempoyak.

The roasted beans were a fun dish – well, at least I had fun choosing the petai and asparagus to go with the garlicky beans and okra. I found the slightly raw herbaceous notes in it and the Dried Squid Ulam contrasted a bit with the tropical fruit notes in the Sendend.

There was no such problem with the next dish, Umai, as the whiskey paired very well with the citrus-dried red snapper and laksa sarawak paste.

For our main course with Glenglassaugh Portsoy, we opted for fish baked in banana leaves.

For our main course with Glenglassaugh Portsoy, we opted for fish baked in banana leaves.

Portsoy is named after the distillery’s neighboring port village, Portsoy, which inspired the deep maritime flavors of this richly peated single malt. Matured in sherry, bourbon and port casks, this is a full-bodied whiskey with a rich coastal character.

The strong maritime notes of the whiskey matched the fish and Bunga Kantan notes of the dish. (The other main dish is the salty smoked chicken which is apparently quite good too).

Dessert was Glendronach 12 year old, accompanied by Chocha’s version of kueh Bahulu.

Last but not least, The Glendronach 12 year old, aged entirely in Sherry casks, makes for a rich and fruity whiskey paired with Chocha’s version of kueh Bahulu, with gula apong and coffee foam which contrasted nicely with the heavy sherry notes from the scotch.

For me, it was a fun experiment in pairing whiskey with unique local ingredients and flavors. It’s worth the detour even if it’s just for the two Glenglassaugh whiskeys