One of the UK’s best-loved cooks and broadcasters, Si King, has teamed up with cask whisky specialist Cask Trade to launch a new collection of limited-edition single malts, with profits supporting food banks in the North East of England. The range, called Cask & Crust, reflects King’s passion for both quality whisky and regional food culture.
Each of the three bottlings has been paired with exclusive new recipes from King’s popular PROPA! pie brand in Sunderland.
This collaboration isn’t simply a celebrity sticker on a bottle. Si King travelled north to the Cask Trade warehouse in Forres, sampling barrels first-hand with Director and Keeper of the Quaich, Colin Hampden-White. Together, they selected three distinctive single malts, chosen to enhance, and be enhanced by, food.
The range was launched at London’s Dram bar, with Si King recounting his whisky journey, even as his chefs served up the partnering pies. The Luxe Review was on hand to taste test the range…
Each of the three bottlings has been paired with exclusive new recipes from King’s popular PROPA! pie brand in Sunderland…
Whisky & food pairing inspiration
Benrinnes 2013 – 11 Years – Oloroso Quarter Cask, £49.99 This rich and comforting dram, chock full of dried fruit, Christmas cake, dark chocolate and warming spice, has been paired with a PROPA! Wild Mushroom & Blue Cheese Pie with whisky onion gravy. The inclusion of blue cheese proves particularly inspired, a perfect foil for this sherry-forward dram.
Ben Nevis 2010 – 15 Years – Refill Barrel, £59.99 Bright and energetic, this whisky offers fresh apple and grape must upfront, with vanilla running through the centre, and a grassy vibrancy on the finish. Si has paired this with a Steak, Whisky & Green Peppercorn Pie, and the result is a hearty feast.
Pulteney 2013 – 11 Years – Refill Barrel, £39.99 Fruity and lightly briny, this Pulteney conjures up baked apples, subtle spice, and a whisper of sea salt that keeps you reaching for another sip. It’s been paired with a PROPA! Chicken, Haggis & Whisky-Cured Bacon Pie, giving this coastal malt a complementary savoury twist.
I Si with my little Pie…
For King, the project goes beyond flavour, it’s about purpose: “Being able to hand-pick some unique drams with Cask Trade and use them in my PROPA! pies has been a real joy. Bringing the two together in support of Sunderland and Newcastle food banks has been an absolute privilege.”
Asked by Hampden-White if there were more pie and whisky combos to be made, Si King suggested smoky Islay whiskies would be a natural match – “I just need to work on my appreciation of peat,” he said.
Cask Trade’s role in the project has been equally hands-on, from cask selection through to label design with local creative partners, keeping the entire collaboration rooted in the region.
All three whiskies are bottled at 46% ABV and are available via Cask Trade’s online store. With prices ranging from £39.99 to £59.99, collectors and curious food-and-whisky fans are likely to snap them up quickly, all in a good cause.
The evocatively titled Pineapple Bananza is the latest addition to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s experimental Heresy range; it’s a small-batch Irish single malt whiskey created in collaboration with Dunville’s Irish Whiskey. Batch 38: Pineapple Bananza stands out for both its origin and production style. Irish whiskey is an infrequent guest in the Society’s portfolio,…
El Supremo Rum, from Paraguay, has launched in the UK, bringing a distinctive national style – Caña Paraguaya – to British rum fans. Produced in partnership with CAPASA, Paraguay’s state‑owned sugarcane alcohol producer, the range draws on traditional production methods rooted in indigenous Guaraní culture. El Supremo is made using 100% sugarcane juice that’s reduced…
Isle of Skye distillery Torabhaig has introduced its first permanent core single malt. Crafted in small batches, Torabhaig Taigh is matured in a combination of first-fill and refill bourbon casks, with the addition of Madeira casks to round out the profile. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV, with no chill filtration and no added colour.…
The Luxe Review 
One of the UK’s best-loved cooks and broadcasters, Si King, has teamed up with cask whisky specialist Cask Trade to launch a new collection of limited-edition single malts, with profits supporting food banks in the North East of England. The range, called Cask & Crust, reflects King’s passion for both quality whisky and regional food culture.
Each of the three bottlings has been paired with exclusive new recipes from King’s popular PROPA! pie brand in Sunderland.
This collaboration isn’t simply a celebrity sticker on a bottle. Si King travelled north to the Cask Trade warehouse in Forres, sampling barrels first-hand with Director and Keeper of the Quaich, Colin Hampden-White. Together, they selected three distinctive single malts, chosen to enhance, and be enhanced by, food.
The range was launched at London’s Dram bar, with Si King recounting his whisky journey, even as his chefs served up the partnering pies. The Luxe Review was on hand to taste test the range…
Whisky & food pairing inspiration
Benrinnes 2013 – 11 Years – Oloroso Quarter Cask, £49.99
This rich and comforting dram, chock full of dried fruit, Christmas cake, dark chocolate and warming spice, has been paired with a PROPA! Wild Mushroom & Blue Cheese Pie with whisky onion gravy. The inclusion of blue cheese proves particularly inspired, a perfect foil for this sherry-forward dram.
Ben Nevis 2010 – 15 Years – Refill Barrel, £59.99
Bright and energetic, this whisky offers fresh apple and grape must upfront, with vanilla running through the centre, and a grassy vibrancy on the finish. Si has paired this with a Steak, Whisky & Green Peppercorn Pie, and the result is a hearty feast.
Pulteney 2013 – 11 Years – Refill Barrel, £39.99
Fruity and lightly briny, this Pulteney conjures up baked apples, subtle spice, and a whisper of sea salt that keeps you reaching for another sip. It’s been paired with a PROPA! Chicken, Haggis & Whisky-Cured Bacon Pie, giving this coastal malt a complementary savoury twist.
I Si with my little Pie…
For King, the project goes beyond flavour, it’s about purpose: “Being able to hand-pick some unique drams with Cask Trade and use them in my PROPA! pies has been a real joy. Bringing the two together in support of Sunderland and Newcastle food banks has been an absolute privilege.”
Asked by Hampden-White if there were more pie and whisky combos to be made, Si King suggested smoky Islay whiskies would be a natural match – “I just need to work on my appreciation of peat,” he said.
Cask Trade’s role in the project has been equally hands-on, from cask selection through to label design with local creative partners, keeping the entire collaboration rooted in the region.
All three whiskies are bottled at 46% ABV and are available via Cask Trade’s online store. With prices ranging from £39.99 to £59.99, collectors and curious food-and-whisky fans are likely to snap them up quickly, all in a good cause.
Triple-distilled Pineapple Bananza Irish single malt joins SMWS Heresy range
The evocatively titled Pineapple Bananza is the latest addition to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s experimental Heresy range; it’s a small-batch Irish single malt whiskey created in collaboration with Dunville’s Irish Whiskey. Batch 38: Pineapple Bananza stands out for both its origin and production style. Irish whiskey is an infrequent guest in the Society’s portfolio,…
First Pour: El Supremo brings Paraguayan Caña style sugarcane honey rum to UK
El Supremo Rum, from Paraguay, has launched in the UK, bringing a distinctive national style – Caña Paraguaya – to British rum fans. Produced in partnership with CAPASA, Paraguay’s state‑owned sugarcane alcohol producer, the range draws on traditional production methods rooted in indigenous Guaraní culture. El Supremo is made using 100% sugarcane juice that’s reduced…
Isle of Skye distillery Torabhaig unveils Taigh as first core single malt, brings poetry to peat whisky
Isle of Skye distillery Torabhaig has introduced its first permanent core single malt. Crafted in small batches, Torabhaig Taigh is matured in a combination of first-fill and refill bourbon casks, with the addition of Madeira casks to round out the profile. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV, with no chill filtration and no added colour.…
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