When tea and whisky are put next to each other for comparison, the intrigued mind will easily get surprised by the many parallels that can be drawn between these two classic beverages that have a history dating back thousands of years.
From the creative process of making a cup of tea or a barrel of whisky to tasting either of the drinks, there are many similarities between the two every step of the way.
Starting from the very first step of picking the raw ingredients – tea leaves are carefully handpicked with consideration to the geographical location of the plant and when it is farmed, and the barley is also treated with great attention to how and when it is dried using peat.
Such dedication and mastery that have a significant impact on the final outcome only prove that making tea or whisky needs extensive knowledge and years of experience to achieve the optimal taste for both beverages.
In this regard, the pioneering whisky label The Balvenie has set high standards when it comes to making whisky due to their trusted five rare crafts – barley that is homegrown in one of the few remaining malting floors, copper stills with the precise shape and size, the perfect cask and finally a whisky master who is passionate and has a high calibre of understanding and experience in this liquid gold.
Finally, when the final drink is in hand, both a whisky master and a tea master will appreciate their chosen drink in closely matching manners. While the tea master notes every rinse of the tea leaves as they sip, a whisky expert would note every single fill of the cask as they drink the alcoholic beverage.
All these matching qualities set a strong connection between tea and whisky thus making them a pair made in heaven. The single malt scotch whisky label The Balvenie is a trendsetter in discovering and perfecting the ideal tea and whisky pairings. Some of such iconic pairings include Week of Peat 14 paired with Emperor’s Breakfast tea, The Sweet Toast of American Oak Paired with Oolong Tea, Caribbean Cask 14 paired with Nepalese Jun Chiyabari, Doublewood 12 Paired With Jasmine Tea or Taiwanese Oolong tea.
Tap here to discover The Balvenie’s full range of Tea & Whisky cocktails with recipes for preparing each of them.