The idea of a ‘whisky pairing’ immediately brings to mind having a dram alongside some food. Whisky enjoyed with chocolate, cheese, or various meats are all quite common whisky pairings.
And all of these are understandable, since both food and whisky are enjoyed using the same senses - taste and smell. But what about harnessing our other senses to enhance the whisky tasting experience?
Recently, a Highland distillery has sought the answer to this question by commissioning a special piece of music to be listened to while drinking one of their drams.
Glendronach have partnered with Emmy-nominated composer Rob Lewis to create a piece of music to be paired with the distillery’s 12 year old expression.
According to the Brown-Forman-owned distillery, they aim to ‘explore the inherent link between the senses, taste and sound, in whisky drinking’ while also evoking ‘a sensual reaction that derives directly from the birthplace of the liquid, through to the nose and taste.’
Master blender Rachel Barrie has borrowed from the world of music when describing the drams she creates. She has said that the Glendronach 12 year old is “a symphony of flavour on the nose and mouth” that reaches a “Sherry crescendo.”
With all this in mind, Lewis set about composing an appropriate piece of music. He said: “I wanted to create a piece that not only connects with our sense of hearing, but also evokes a feeling of touch – the crunch of gravel in the dunnage warehouse, the sensation of running your hand across the casks.
“Every sound captured in the distillery was manipulated and woven into the piece. These sounds form the backbone of the percussion, all derived from the distillery itself, and appear as subtle textures and pitched elements throughout.”
The track is called Valley of the Brambles, taking its title from the translation of the distillery’s Gaelic name. It’s a cello-led piece that incorporates ambient sounds, such as wind and birdsong as heard from the dunnage warehouse, as well as industrial-sounding percussion elements that may bring to mind the hustle and bustle of a working distillery.
Lewis also claims that the track pays homage to the distillery’s prominent use of Sherry casks from Andalucia, Spain, by utilising a ‘gentle rhythmic undercurrent [that] hints at a bolero.’
Pairing sounds and other sensory experiences such as eating and drinking is actually far from a novel idea. As Professor Charles Spence, gastrophysicist at the University of Oxford, explains: “Sonic seasoning is the idea that music and soundscapes can be designed to match, and even enhance tasting experiences.
“Early examples of sonic seasoning tended to use examples of pre-recorded music to match, and thus accentuate a specific taste – such as Pavarotti to bring out the bitterness of a dark chocolate, or Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ to bring out sweetness.
“However, the past few years have seen growing interest in bespoke sonic compositions created to more closely match the evolving flavour profile of complex-tasting products such as whisky.”
He adds that Lewis’ work fits into this tradition, saying: “‘The Valley of Brambles’ launched by The Glendronach plays very much in this space, by innovatively combining both highly textured cello notes with ambient sounds of place, including birdsong (perhaps triggering the nature effect).
“This layering of musical notes with site-specific ambient sounds helps to create a richly textured listening experience that evolves in time with the evolution of the tasting experience on the palate while savouring a glass of The Glendronach. The piece cleverly, and almost synaesthetically, evokes a range of textural qualities through the curated selection and layering of sounds.”
Unfortunately when I listened to the track I didn’t have a dram of Glendronach 12 year old handy to see if it sat harmoniously alongside the whisky, though I can confirm that it was an intriguing and quite evocative piece.
More important than my opinion, however, is that of the Glendronach whisky makers. Does 'Valley of the Brambles’ live up to the expectations of those at the namesake distillery? Thankfully, it seems like they do.
Speaking on the piece, Barrie said: “I am thrilled that Rob has been able to capture all the facets of The Glendronach, from the overture and the crescendo to the grand finale, all through the sounds, the atmosphere, and the reverberations of the distillery. The track communicates that sense of place, the casks and the inherent musicality of our liquid, making it the perfect soundtrack to enjoy a dram.”
You can listen to ‘Valley of the Brambles’ for yourself now on Spotify and other streaming platforms, and there’s also a video on Rob Lewis’ YouTube channel where he discusses his process and the experience of working at the distillery.
