What happens when top Scotch whisky JURA teams up with Disappearing Dining Club? A hell of a great night with outstanding food and some very well chosen whisky pairings in a fab setting.
The Disappearing Dining Club are known for organising unique dinner parties with well curated menus in truly exceptional locations. Some of their upcoming events include dining in a church or even a lighthouse on New Year’s Eve. This event was in LASSCO Ropewalk on Maltby Street Market, a new bar and private dining room where we ate and drank amazing JURA whisky (and whisky cocktails!). This is an old warehouse space in which architectural artefacts (the walls were once those in Roosevelt’s office, just sayin’), reclaimed furniture, artworks, lamps and chandeliers.
The evening started with hot whisky cocktails with orange blossom and JURA’s own tea. We ate smoked ceviche which was smoked right in front of us with cherry oak. We were later invited to an amazing four course meal to give us a feel of what is cooked on the Island of Jura, aka Deer Island where the whisky is from. This tiny island off the coast of Scotland is home to 198 Juracs, 5000 deers and only has one street and one shop! The climate on the island can change greatly depending on where you are. It can be warm and sunny with palm trees at one end and cold and rainy at the other. The meal that was to come reflected a mix of this ever changing weather.
We started with festive spiced venison croquettes topped with cranberry which was matched with Origin Tale, a 10 year old whisky that was deliciously smooth and sweet. An incredibly fresh platter of smoked seafood was paired with JURA Superstition, a 16 year old whisky that’s lightly peated with hints of smoke. After that we were treated to a very refreshing and surprisingly spicy apple, raspberry and chilli granita. As the evening went on, the intensity of the flavours and smokiness in the whisky matched the rich and smoked pulled baby ribs that were served with delicious polenta chips paired with Diurachs’ Own, a full bodied whisky with hints of toffee and citrus. We ended the meal with a cherry clafoutis and vanilla ice cream paired with JURA’s Prophecy whisky which was very smoky and had aromas of fresh cinnamon.
Once our bellies were very content and we had met a lovely bunch a people, we were invited to LASSCO’s cocktail bar where we were treated to MORE original whisky cocktails such as the Campbell Nod, The Red Deer and On the Caves.
We learned a lot about the techniques used during the whisky-making process, what the Island of Jura is all about, it’s history and really made us hope that one day we would see it for ourselves and visit the distillery (George Orwell and Paulo Nutini even visited!) This may be a one-off event for now but expect more collaborations with JURA and the Disappearing Dining Club and check out their new bar and private dining room inside LASSCO Ropewalk on Maltby Street near London Bridge.
