About six weeks or so ago, we were informed of a Scottish Heritage celebration called Tartan Day and were offered the opportunity to try a Scottish snack and a couple of Scottish beverages (not whisky) from The Scottish Grocer of Charlotte, NC . Tartan Day took place on April 6th, and although our Scottish treats arrived well in advance of the celebration day, as is often the case, real life got in our way and we weren't able to celebrate on the actual day.
Since we weren't able to make it happen on April 6th, we decided to meet for a research session a couple weeks ago to try the Scottish snacks with the Scottish beverages (plus a whisky) to see which food and beverage pairing worked best. The snack was a bag of Mackie's Haggis and Black Pepper Potato Crisps, and the beverages were Irn Bru, Edinburgh Tea & Coffee Co. Whisky Tea, and a Single Malt Scotch Whisky of our choosing.
Here's a bit more information about Tartan Day, the drinks, and the snacks...
Drink Like a Scot on Tartan Day April 6
Launch your Scottish day with a morning cup of Edinburgh Whisky Tea, which imparts the smooth, pure taste and smells of a fine Scottish malt without the alcohol. The whisky flavor doesn't have any peatiness to it. Instead, the China teas have a delicate hint of smokiness to them, which works in perfect harmony with the whisky notes. 25 ct (Envelope/Tagged) $7.39
Scotland's most popular selling non-cola soft drink! Launched in 1901 in Scotland, Barr's IRN BRU is a carbonated soft drink, made to an original secret recipe which from 1901 contained 32 flavors. IRN BRU's unique combination of flavours delivers the brands indescribable and PHENOMENAL taste. Limited Time Tartan Day Treat Special. Two bottles and a Mackie's Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper Chips $8.89
The Scottish Grocer ships authentic, imported groceries from Scotland to the US and Canada from their hub in Charlotte, North Carolina.
So here was the plan:
Taste the crisps on their own.
Try them with the Irn Bru.
Try them with the tea.
Try them with a Single Malt Scotch Whisky (we went with Ardbeg Wee Beastie).
Click the play button on the following video to find out what we thought of the crisps and which pairing worked best:
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