Beer and whisky aka hauf and hauf a perfect match

Awee hauf and hauf is something that’s been ordered in pubs across Scotland for years, and is, for those that don’t know or partake, a half pint of beer followed by a dram.

It’s not a boilermaker, which is commonly a larger beer followed by a whisky chaser to be shot. Our hauf and a hauf combo is meant to be savoured.

Whisky and beer have long been bedfellows, and this tradition of drinking both, one after the other, has been inspiring both the brewing and distilling industry for years. Innis & Gunn have found huge success with their Laphroaig Islay Whisky Cask Ale, which is a 7.4 per cent Scottish Red Ale that has been slowly matured in rare, Laphroaig single malt whisky quarter casks.

Glenfiddich’s experimental series kicked off in 2016 with their IPA whisky, which was the first single malt scotch whisky finished in IPA craft beer casks. Harviestoun meanwhile teamed up with Highland Park to release Ola Dubh – the result of maturing the brewery’s Old Engine Oil stout in 40-year-old whisky casks from the award-winning Orkney distillery for at least six months.

The most recent pairing of beer and whisky comes from FABLE and Drygate, both of which have released a blended whisky and ale titled the ‘Captain’s Daughter’. The whisky is the third release from FABLE blended malts, and is an eight-year-old blend of whiskies, which have been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads.

As well as being a great sipper for after beer, it will also make a mean Penicillin cocktail. The Drygate Captain’s Daughter beer is an amber ale with ginger and has flavour notes of cinder toffee and malt loaf, and has been brewed specifically to pair with the whisky.

While beer and whisky as drinks are a match made in heaven, the process of making beer has, over the years, also informed some whiskies. Take Glenmorangie Signet, which was launched as a non-age-statement bottling in 2009, but remains on the core range. The whisky is created with darkly roasted chocolate malts – a popular addition to porters and stouts.