When friends come by and you open up a few beers or you feel like just sippin’ whisky for the fun of it (you know, nobody making tasting notes in a notebook or anything), then inevitably, you’re going to get peckish. What your mouth is craving is something savory or sweet, something salty perhaps, just some carefree morsels you can munch on while watching the ballgame. Whisky snacks work well in these situations, as they come ready-loaded with elements of your favorite beverage.
In Scotland, seek out a large bag of Mackie’s Whisky & Haggis Potato Crisps (that means chips, if you’re situated west of the Atlantic). These ridge-cut snacks are made on the Moncur Farm near Dundee. They were the first commercial chips to be made with a whisky-flavored seasoning, and because they really like you, they have made them taste of haggis too! Surely this crunchy, wafer-thin Burns supper pinched between finger and thumb will go down in history as one’s of mankind’s greatest achievements. Utterly brilliant.
Next, try to get your hands on some dangerously addictive Whiskey Stix, a dark pretzel covered in a delicious whiskey-flavored coating originating from Salem, Ohio. The inventor of this devilishly scrumptious nibble is Kathy Boswell, the great granddaughter of a bootlegger. While they do come in 3 oz. bags if you’re slight and willowy, it’s really OK to want, and need, the 12 oz. bag in your life. The plan is simple: pretzel, beer, repeat, pretzel, beer, repeat.
When it’s movie night, then a bowlful of yummy comfort food should always be on hand. Something appetizing you can abstractly transfer repetitively into the dark recesses of your chomping jaws while the action unfolds on-screen. This is an occasion where nothing less than a heaped mound of Joe & Seph’s Caramel, Macchiato & Whisky Popcorn will do. If you dare to combine flavors of corn, caramel, and coffee all wrapped up with a whisky kick, then you are pushing at an open door with the rest of us, am I right? They use real scotch in there too. My only feedback is that the bags are way too small to sustain me beyond the opening credits of the movie.
Then, there are those tasty Sugar Plum Chocolates’ Kentucky Bourbon Almonds inside the Liquor Nuts Gift Tin, which includes a serving of Irish stout cashews among the selection. If you really want something good to chew on, open a pack of quality beef jerky from California. Though here you have a dilemma: do you choose the Prather Ranch Whiskey Maple Beef Jerky or Get Some Jerky’s Black Label Whiskey Jerky? Tough choice. While whisky snack innovation abounds, there will soon be very little reason to leave the house.
