Words by Colin Hampden-White
There are few food matches that go as well together as smoked salmon and whisky and one company has gone a step further by curing their salmon in various spirits and then smoking the fish. The results are heavenly. Campbell’s started by curing their salmon with Balvenie. This was such a success that they started to use Glenfiddich, and even moved away from whisky to use another William Grant & Sons brand: Hendricks.
This delicious combination was only available to the restaurant trade, but with the lockdown and distribution issues thrown up by Covid-19, they have been made available to the public. Even better than that, you can buy them together, all three spirit-cured smoked salmon plus one traditional.
The original concept was brought forward by William Grant & Sons working with Michel Roux Jr who took the modern smoking of salmon, added fennel, coriander seeds and star anise, before finishing the fish in Balvenie 12 year old. This was used across the Roux businesses at the Langham in London, Cromlix House, Crossbasket Castle and Inverlochy Castle, and now can be experienced in your own home.
The Glenfiddich salmon was developed after a visit to the Glenfiddich distillery and master distiller Brian Kinsman visiting the smoke house. He then worked with Mark Thompson, brand ambassador for Scotland, to pair the salmon with Glenfiddich IPA. The result was used at bespoke dinners at the distillery and over the 2019 festive season by chef Adam Handling at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel.
The Hendricks smoked salmon was developed by Lesley Gracie, the Hendricks distiller in Girvan. The process involved curing the salmon in sea salt, demerara sugar and botanicals and then lightly smoking it before finishing it in Hendricks Gin. A fantastic compliment to afternoon tea, this smoked salmon was showcased at the Caledonian Waldorf in Edinburgh and the Doyle Collection in London.
All the boxes can be found by going to the shop section of Campbell’s website and the combination box (which is made to order) can be found here and ordered before the 4th of December. It is priced at £45 + £4.99 delivery. Delivery is from the 15th to 22nd and when kept in a fridge will last until the 4th of January.
If you love whisky and gin and are a fan of top notch smoked salmon, this is a real treat for the seasonal festivities.