In my mind, the only thing that makes traditional haggis taste good is a whisky sauce. And for my whisky sauce I use a single malt whisky. Dave and I did a malt whisky tasting when we were in Scotland that was extremely informative and educational. At some stage I want to take this further but for now I am just appreciating our growing collection of single malts. If you want to do a whisky tasting at home, the first thing you will need is a Glencairn whisky glass.
If you don’t have any of these glasses then use champagne flutes. Pour a wee dram into your glass and give it a swirl. This releases the smell, so now take a sniff. Don’t put the glass to your nose, rather keep it at chest height and tilt your head down. Now move on to tasting the whisky neat. Before you take a sip breathe in through your nose, then take a sip, roll it around you mouth, wait a few seconds and then swallow and only then breathe out through your nose. Add a drop or two of water to your whisky and repeat the process. You should now have a good idea of the taste and smell of your whisky. You may notice hints of vanilla, pear, apple or even straw. Some whisky’s are smoky and others have an oily feel to them. You can use these flavours and smells to decide which whisky to use in your sauce. I prefer the Talisker 10 year old as it has a hint of black pepper which compliments the haggis perfectly.
Whisky Sauce
Ingredients
- 25 g butter
- 25 g flour
- 250 mls vegetable stock
- 60 mls whisky
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Method
- Place the butter into a small saucepan and melt over a low heat
- Add the flour and mix in with a whisk making sure it does not form lumps
- Gradually whisk in the stock
- Add the whiskey, mix in and cook for 5 minutes, making sure to keep the sauce thin
- Season to taste
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
Blog-checking lines: This month, the Daring Cooks got a little saucy! Jenni from The Gingered Whisk taught us the basics of how to make the five mother-sauces and encouraged us to get creative with them, creating a wide variety of delicious, fresh sauces in our very own kitchens.
What I blogged:
- one year ago – The Man From Berlin
- two years ago – Taste Of Johannesburg
- three years ago – Clemengold Cake
- four years ago – Laksa Lemak
I can’t do whisky, my whole body curls and folds as the liquid touches my lips.
Oh, that would sadden my heart!
I’ve only had a sampling of anything like whisky sauce at a restaurant, I confess, I have never tried such a thing at home. It was very strong and I’m a super picker eater, but overall, I liked it. New sauces just make a dish! Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure. And I think a sauce should not have an overpowering taste of alcohol 🙂
Mmm … very nice! I have to admit I’m not a great fan of haggis, but the whiskey sauce does indeed sound tasty!
It makes the haggis easier to eat 😉
So you served your whiskey sauce with some snags, sounds delicious. I don’t think I have ever had whisky sauce.
Its good even with plain old mashed potatoes 🙂
I’ve never had haggis and want to change that! Especially if it’s in whisky sauce!
Let me know if you try both 🙂
That’s interesting about whisky tasting and I’m sure that whisky sauce would make anything taste great!
especially the haggis Rachel 🙂
I love whiskey! 😀
Wow, I sound way too happy 😛 – This sauce looks lovely too, I would love to try it, great colour!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
So glad to read you love whisky! Hope you give it a try Uru 🙂
Hi Tandy, what a great sauce, my husband would love this
Let me know if you make it for him Cheri 🙂
Wow! It sounds amazing!
Thank you!
The whiskey sauce looks delicious and so easy, I must give this a try…thanks for the recipe Tandy!
Have a wonderful week 😀
Thanks Juliana, and hope you enjoy the sauce 🙂
Clearly, this recipe is even better if one is sipping some of that nice single malt whilst preparing the meal, if not also during the meal and as dessert! 😉 Sounds lovely, anyway. 🙂
xo
I agree, the sipping of a single malt at the same time makes the entire meal better 🙂
This kind of a whiskey sauce, intended to accompany a savory food, and made with vegetable stock is entirely new to me. Thank you for the enlightenment!
My pleasure, and thank you for the comment 🙂
Oh don’t tell me that we were missing a whisky sauce when we had haggis! You make me want to buy another haggis to make the whisky sauce for! 😀
Buying haggis is a good reason to make this sauce Lorraine 🙂
Mmm, yummy!
Thanks Angela 🙂
Oooh I’ve not tried this before, sounds good!
Thank you 🙂
I must make a plan to tackle the 5 mother sauces. Making my own sauces just don’t come to me as ideas when I think of cooking. Probably because I rarely use sauces in general. Great post 🙂 xx
I so seldom make sauces but when I do, it is usually mushroom sauce 🙂
Oh dear…. I want to say I love this, but Whiskey is not my friend. I dated a chap for a number of years who was obsessed with Laphroig, ever since, the smell of whiskey alone triggers unpleasantness. Ha! 🙂
Although, I will say, good to see top ingredients being used. It saddens me greatly to see people use less than ingredients and wonder why it doesn’t taste tops.
Oh, that is so sad! I will have to come up with a sauce just for you Anna 🙂