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I’ll start by admitting I’m neither a lager fan nor a whisky buff. I tend to find the oesophagus-numbing blandness of lager fairly consistent from brand to brand, and the merest whiff of neat whisky makes my spine twitch. So an invitation to Tennents’ Whisky Beer launch at Glasgow’s luxurious Hotel Du Vin made me one of the least likely advocates of the evening.

Thankfully, I’m magnanimous enough to put my preferences aside, and graciously test several free bottles of craft beer, alongside several rounds of Michelin Star worthy canapés from one of Scotland’s leading chefs, in one of Scotland’s most beautiful hotels, without a subjective opinion. You’re welcome.

First thing to note is that this isn’t actually a lager, as explained by Keith Lugton, master brewer at Wellpark’s towering brewery. It’s a hybrid; a lager blended with a brown/amber ale, hopped with German, American and Slovenian varieties, and aged in toasted oak infused with Speyside Single Malt Whisky.

Secondly, there are a number of great whisky beers in the market already; Brewdog’s Paradox Jura and Harviestoun’s Ola Dubh being two of note. So the competition, although small in number, are serious players. Unlike it’s competition though, Tennents isn’t barrel-aged. Instead, toasted oak chips infused with whisky are added to the beer after fermentation, to impart flavours of sweet, toasty coconut and hints of toffee and vanilla. You might think this is cheating – akin to blagging your way into a dinner party wearing a tuxedo-onesie – but engineering the oak/whisky mix actually allows greater control and a more consistent flavour from bottle to bottle. Add to the mix an unexpected dose of American citrus hops, and you have a genuinely interesting beer.

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Some detail:

Malt: Tennents pale malt, amber malt, brown malt
Hops: Zeus, Tettnang, Auroroa, Summit
Yeast: Tennents Lager yeast
IBU: 20
ABV: 6%

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As the evening progressed, it became clear Tennents have a clear agenda to embed this beer in the landscape of fine Scottish food and drink. If you poke around the website you’ll find several food pairing suggestions, and tonight’s canapés were the work of esteemed Scottish chef Mark Greenaway – an advocate of Scotland’s rich and plentiful larder. Each morsel was (very successfully) designed around the profile of the beer; Salmon cured in Tennents whisky beer, a seasonal pot of pea custard with asparagus, and roast quail with foraged herbs and mandarin gel. All light in touch, and complimentary to the rich, full-bodied gusto found in the numerous beers handed to us as we scoffed.

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I’m interested to see whether Tennents’ new creation is truly destined to become synonymous with fine dining. It’s a great beer, with a complex flavour profile filled with sweet malt and light smoke and spice. But I’d be happier cracking one open with a bowl of fresh oysters, or a plate of langoustines on ice. Whichever way you serve it up, it’s a world ahead of the roasted peanut pairings of its populist lager cousin.

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tennentswhiskybeer.com
@TheWhiskyBeer

markgreenaway.com
@markgreenaway

hotelduvin.com
@HdV_Glasgow