Wedding Whisky: The Best Drams For The Ultimate Celebration

For your wedding, it is natural for you to fuss over every detail. This is your big day and you’ll have done everything from selecting the menu, chosen the specific flowers for the arrangements, and even curated a wedding playlist to cater to the tastes of each and every guest.

So it is only natural that, if you’re a big whisky drinker, you’ll want to make sure you have the perfect drams available at your celebration. Yes, you might leave this up to the venue to select the right whiskys to serve – but if you’ve got an interest in quality whisky, you’ll be pleased you put in the effort and chose the right options for your day.

Here we provide some advice for selecting the perfect whisky for your big celebration.

Look beyond price

Perhaps the first thing to think about is budget. There is often a temptation to think of money as no object (it’s your wedding day, after all) to opt for that whisky that you’ve been interested in trying for a long time, but has always been way out of your normal whisky budget price range. Yes, you can splurge at a wedding – but it’s worth really thinking about this.

The last thing that you want to do is leave a bad taste in your mouth – figuratively and literally. Spending a lot of money on a whisky that turns out to be disappointing and not to your taste, can somewhat sour the experience of enjoying whisky on your wedding day.

Ultimately it is OK to go outside your normal price range for your wedding – but too many brides and grooms simply select a whisky with a famous name like Johnnie Walker Blue Label or arbitrarily select a 30-year old single malt with an eye-watering price. The truth is that there are much better things to focus on than how much a whisky costs.

Choose a whisky you like

It might sound obvious, but it is really important to make a criteria for selecting your perfect whisky to be that you actually really like it. You might want to choose a recognisable brand for kudos, or try to hedge your bets with a crowd pleasing classic.

Host a tasting

If you can’t decide on just one signature whisky, it could be a great idea to go with many! You love whisky, and you want to share that love on your wedding day. So why not make a whisky tasting of some of your favourites a part of the big day?

“Show off your favourite whisky at a table at the reception, label and describe each one for that personal touch,” recommends Louise Sinnerton at Flaviar “decant each bottle for an elegant look, and select bottles that match your wedding theme. The bride or groom could prepare this in secret as a surprise for the other, which is a nice touch!”

This can be a lovely way to bring the wedding together, while indulging your own whisky habit.

Create a custom cocktail

Remember that not everyone attending your wedding is going to be a whisky aficionado. In fact, there are going to be some who (shock, horror) don’t actually even like neat whisky. But on your big day, it would be very nice if as many people as possible get the chance to indulge in your whisky preference. So, why not create a custom cocktail that might be more palatable to the less seasoned drinker?

Serving a signature cocktail at your wedding is a classic move and there are a huge number of options. How about a Manhattan but with the traditional rye whisky subbed out for the smoky and distinctive Laphroaig 10-Year-Old? Or perhaps a more crowd-pleasing whisky Sour variation with a dash of maple syrup and red vermouth?

Whatever you choose, try to find something that is going to provide broader appeal to your whisky and make it interesting to those people who you don’t think are going to sip a dram with you.

Work with your venue

It is important to remember that some venues will have specific rules about what you can and can’t do with regard to bringing drinks to their site. It’s no good choosing the perfect whisky for the big day and then realising that your chosen venue won’t allow you to have it at your reception.

Wedding venues are usually very happy to liaise with wedding parties who want to bring their own specific drinks to the reception. The wedding team at Wickwoods Country Club, a popular wedding venue in West Sussex, offer expert advice and planning tips that cover every detail of your wedding. They will recommend suppliers and trusted professionals who can help to create special themes and touches for your day. Be warned, however, that other venues might prefer to maximise their bar takings and may even confiscate drinks that haven’t been approved in advance!

It is always a better idea to keep your venue appraised of your plans for the day rather than trying to keep anything under their radar.

The best dram for your wedding day is the one that you can enjoy. You should always have this at the front of your mind when you are making any decisions about whisky. Remember that you will have many days when you can try whisky, but you’ve only got one wedding day – make sure you celebrate it with a whisky to remember.

Photo by Cleyder Duque: https://www.pexels.com/photo/shallow-focus-photo-of-couple-smiling-while-holding-wine-glass-3816388/

Tags: The Best DramsUltimate CelebrationWedding Whisky

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.