Two dates, four sherries, four whiskies (sherry finishes), four tapas, uncountable joy!

If you were lucky enough to be in Ambiente Leeds on the 16th of April or in Tabanco by Ambiente in York on the 17th April, then you got to experience the 3rd whisky/sherry/tapas tasting collaboration, this year in ‘double-header’ format to bring the liquid and tasting menu joy to two cities.

We’ll say a bit about each course but here was the menu – a selection of classic English menu dishes given a Spanish twist:

Course One

A Spanish take on the traditional Fish & Chips staple, with whisky and sherry that got palates off to the races.

Course Two

If you’ve had the pleasure of eating at Ambiente or Tabanco, then you’ll know they do a fine Ibérico Pork. This time accompanied by Artichoke & Wild Mushroom Rice with an Anchovies Jus.

Course Three

Continuing the flip of English traditions, the Spanish touch was being added to Oxtail, Fillet of Beef with Potato and Parlsey Root Purée. The sherry-finished whisky is from the same distillery as a very popular dram from Whisky & Sherry II, giving frequent flyers the chance to explore more of the range.

Course Four

We had sweet Sherry and whisky lined up for the finale, and so they demanded a sweet accompaniment- this time it was Ancho Chilli Chocolate Torte with a Mascarpone Mousse.

To accompany the Fish & Chips, Rob presented our first sherry of the night, a Barbadillo Bodega en Rama Manzanilla, aged 8yrs making it a ‘pasada’ style.

This extra aging adds complexity, body and a hint of oxidation as the layer of ‘flor’ beings to thin. An ‘en rama’ sherry has been bottled straight from the cask with no fining or filtration.

Our pairing on the whisky side had similar originality – a 10yrs old Manzanilla (distilled in 2014), part of Tomatin’s Sherry Collection, non chill filtered with a natural colour.

The official tasting notes nod to a slightly salty finish – we were keen to see if this added the traditional salt you might put on fish and chips:

“With aromas of sourdough bread and salted popcorn, flavours of dried fruits, chamomile tea, grapefruit, maple syrup and salted walnut balance perfectly on the palate. The finish is slightly salty, typical of a Manzanilla sherry, with warming brown butter.”

During our tastings, we always want to deliver special so for this tasting, we got in touch with Tomatin and 10 attendees were delighted to open their course envelopes to find themselves winners of a presentation pack containing a sample of the Manzanilla, and also a Palo Cortado and 17yr old PX from Tomatin – safe to say, after a delicious Manzanilla, in many cases the samples didn’t leave the restaurant and provided added ‘digestifs’!

In our collaborations with Ambiente, alongside making great pairings, we’ve always aim to make the whisky as intriguing to our regular whisky club attendees as to those new to whisky.

With much of Lowland distillery Glenkinchie’s production going into blends, especially Johnnie Walker, we were keen to present a bottle (Glenkinchie 2009 Amontillado Cask Finish – Distillers Edition) that allowed attendees to see the distillery’s character a bit more clearly on its own.

In Jim’s words:

“Lowland whisky is often thought of as one of the lighter, more delicate Scotch styles, and Glenkinchie really leans into that. It’s fresh, floral, quite elegant, with those orchard fruit notes…things like apple and pear rather than big smoke or heavy richness.”

“But what I like about this one is that it’s not just light and elegant, there’s a bit more going on. On the nose you get that freshness, but also a nuttier edge starting to come through. On the palate it begins soft and quite lively, then dries out into almond, gentle spice, and a slightly
savoury character.”

“So for me, this is a whisky with good manners, but a bit of backbone. It’s not trying to dominate the dish, but it’s not getting lost either. With the pork, mushrooms and anchovy, that dryness and nuttiness work really nicely — it cuts through the richness and picks up on those savoury flavours on the plate.”

The accompanying Amontillado sherry was a 30yr old Del Duque, a superb dry sherry with “hints of cedar, leather, walnuts and a lingering, nutty finish”. It was so popular that all local wine merchants had sold out by the 2nd night of the double header.

Everyone likes a sequel and last year the Amontillado from GlenAllachie’s “Wood Collection” was really popular, so this year we presented the 9yr old Oloroso from the same range.

Jasper’s pairing theory was that with your traditional English main, people often like the tart, chewy fruit essence of a dark fruit sauce, and that to compliment the Spanish Oxtail, filet of beef, this provided a liquid fruit experience, a ‘high-class, liquid condiment’.

His tasting notes:

“I get a really nice, sweet, dark fruit nose and then a drier, fruity taste which I think will cut through some of the richness of the meat, ending with a slightly peppery finish.”

There was some disagreement with this view on suitable condiments for beef, but all diners agreed that the whisky, Oxtail and Oloroso sherry from Delgado Zuleta were fantastic together!

Our final whisky was Glencadam Reserva PX Sherry Cask.

Glencadam is a Highland distillery, known for producing quite a clean, elegant spirit, but this one is slightly different, with a life that started in American oak before finishing in Pedro Ximénez casks, which bring a much richer, sweeter character.

Jim’s tasting notes:

“On the nose, this is immediately more indulgent, with dried fruits like raisins
and figs, alongside toffee, caramel, and maybe a touch of chocolate. It is quite
deep and inviting.”

“On the palate, it is fuller and more rounded. You get that dark fruit sweetness,
dates and sultanas, alongside treacle, gentle spice, and a really soft, almost syrupy texture. It is quite a comforting style of whisky.”

“What is nice about this one is that you still have that underlying elegance from
the distillery, but it is wrapped in these much richer, dessert-like flavours. It
feels quite balanced rather than overly heavy.”

“And with the dessert, this is where it really comes into its own. You have chocolate, fig, and that Pedro Ximénez element alongside it, and everything just lines up. The whisky mirrors those flavours and adds a bit of warmth and spice, so it really builds that overall richness.”

The sherry matched the whisky for sweetness with a @bodegaslustau San Emilio PX bringing aromas reminiscent of figs, raisins and dates, a velvety soft taste on the palate and a long finish.

The Chocolate Torte was as delicious as it looks and a BIG TOAST 🥃 to Johnny and the Leeds and York kitchen teams for lifting the bar even higher.

Attentive front-of-house service as always, a fantastic way to top off the trilogy: Whisky & Sherry III.