5 Festive Foods that Pair Wonderfully with Our Christmas Release

Well, I think it’s safe to say that we are now officially on the countdown to Christmas. As I type this, we’re now in October, and although it’s been fairly mild recently, the other day I actually did the unthinkable and put on the heating!

As great as warm sunny weather can be, Christmas still has to be one of my favourite times of year. Not only does it become socially acceptable to pour a dram the second you finish work, but there’s also our Christmas release to promote, which always seems to go down a treat with all you legends.

This year, as part of our Rare Cask Series for the GreatDrams Christmas Release 2026 we’ve really pushed the boat out with a stunning 15-year-old Invergordon expression, matured in a first fill Malaga wine cask. It’s fruity, it’s heavy on the honey and berry notes, and if you love a Christmas wine, you’ll love this year’s festive dram.

Of course, Christmas isn’t just about amazing booze, it’s also about delicious food, so why not combine the two? Looking for ideas of what to pair our Christmas whisky with this year? Santa Greg’s got you covered.

Here are 5 festive foods that pair wonderfully with our Christmas release.

Roast Goose with Honey and Cherry Glaze

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, and if you’re opting for a plump and juicy goose this year in place of turkey, our Malaga matured dram is a great shout.

The whisky itself provides heavy red berry notes thanks to the Malaga cask, that has imparted an extraordinarily deep wine character into the spirit, with subtle notes of honey, oak, and dried festive fruits. This goes so, so well with roast goose.

Goose has a rich and gamey flavour and, despite containing a huge amount of fat in the skin (don’t you dare waste it, it makes the best roast potatoes imaginable!) the meat itself is surprisingly lean. The sharpness of the whisky cuts through the rich and gamey flavour of the meat perfectly.

We like to score the skin of ours, rub it with a generous handful of five spice, orange, and lemon zest, and then finish the skin with a honey and cherry glaze. Roast goose by itself would be fantastic with this dram, but add in the spice, citrus zest, and glaze, and you’re onto a real winner!

Pigs in Blankets!

Listen, if I get chance to talk about sausage, you’d best believe I’m leaping in headfirst. At Christmas time, there’s one particular sausage product that I especially love digging into, and that is of course, the humble pig in blanket.

Pigs in blankets go great with tart and fruity flavours, which is why they work so well with our Malaga matured dram from Invergordon. The whisky cuts through the delicious fatty, salty notes of the sausage and bacon, whilst the sticky honey and berry notes it provides really lift the flavours and somehow make them taste even more amazing.

For the ultimate decadent treat (as it’s Christmas) why not add a splash of whisky into a pan with a generous spoonful of honey, and toss the pigs through it right at the end so that they’re nice and sticky. Pigs in blankets in a honey whisky glaze? What’s not to love?

Blue Cheese, Fig, Walnut, and Honey Parcels

Other than way too many pigs in blankets, if there’s one food we always seem to have too much of at Christmas, it’s cheese. Fortunately, cheese keeps for a long time and can be used to make a plethora of different dishes, festive or otherwise.

One festive dish that would go very well with our festive whisky is a simple blue cheese, fig, and honey parcel. Simply take a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry, add a generous smearing of blue cheese, half a ripe fig, a walnut, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup. Then simply bake in the oven until the pastry is cooked.

Blue cheese such as stilton or roquefort has a very intense flavour that flourishes when paired with intensely sweet and sharp flavours – hence the sticky fig and honey drizzle. To really take your tastebuds on a festive journey, though, take your Limited Edition GreatDrams Glencairn Whisky Glass, pour a generous dram of our festive whisky, and slowly sip on it between bites.

The saltiness of the cheese works in harmony with the syrupy berry nature of the whisky, whilst the honey and fig help to bring out its dried fruit and lightly toasted oak notes.

Mince Pies

Mince pies are, without question, one of the most iconic festive foods we have in this country. They’re synonymous with Christmas and contain ingredients that offer very similar tasting notes to a lot of single malts.

Made with a light and buttery shortcrust pastry and a sweet, sticky, festively spiced mincemeat filling consisting of dried fruits, sugar, flaked almonds, citrus zest, and winter baking spices, it’s little wonder why they pair so wonderfully with a heavily sherried dram from Speyside.

Our Christmas release this year however, isn’t matured or finished in a sherry cask, so why am I mentioning it? Well, because the flavours that the Malaga cask has imparted happen to go unbelievably well with warm mince pies and a generous dollop of clotted cream, that’s why.

The pastry and cream help to soften the palate whilst the fruity, baking spiced notes help to draw out the tart, honeyed, dried fruit and berry notes from the whisky. The subtle oaky finish is warm and soothing and makes for an incredibly decadent culinary experience.

Christmas Pudding

Finally, what could be more festive and Christmassy than Christmas pudding? Absolutely nothing, that’s what. (Other than a traditional Christmas cake, which would also work)

Christmas pudding is a boozy delight at the best of times, but add a dram of whisky as you tuck in, and just wait for the cacophony of flavours and tasting notes you discover, in both the pud and the whisky.

Made with suet, booze-soaked raisins (usually sherry and brandy) along with various other dried fruits and tasty ingredients, it really is Christmas in pudding form. We personally like to add whisky into our “hydration” mix to really help the fruits to swell and plump up. I know, shocking, right?

The flavours you get in a traditional Christmas pudding are strikingly similar to those found in this 15-year-old Invergordon delight. Rather than subtly bringing out new flavours, somehow the flavours imparted via the Malaga cask help to amplify the taste of the pudding by one hundred percent! Rather than contrasting, the two work in synergy. A sip of whisky will make your pudding taste infinitely better, yet a mouthful of pudding will somehow make your whisky taste even more intense. That, my friends, is the harmonizing effect of this whisky in all its festive glory.

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or pick up our 2026 Christmas release before it sells out, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for all you whisky lovers out there.

Tags: Christmas ReleaseFestive Foods

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.