The 6 Best Scotches to Pair With Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving morning finds you barely lucid after catching the 6 a.m. train home, and now Nana has you cornered and is taking off the gloves: “Why haven’t you met a nice girl yet? Maybe if you had a real job…” The turkey hasn’t even been carved, and your nerves are as fried as Aunt Betty’s Brussels sprouts surprise. Sensing your silent SOS, Uncle Jack waves you over to the bar cart. The old man is covered in tattoos and scars—some from prison, others from bars—but he’s always jolly company. You reach for a bottle of Merlot, but Uncle Jack swats your hand away. “Wine is fine, boy, but whiskey’s quicker,” he says, pouring two drams of Glenglassaugh SandEnd. Uncle Jack has his flaws, but his taste in whiskey isn’t one of them. 

You raise your glass and toast life’s blessings: health, fine whiskey, and, of course, family. As the Scotch develops in the glass, the smell of sea breeze and dried fruit soothes your beleaguered soul. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll survive another Thanksgiving. 

Scotch is not only therapeutic during family holidays, it pairs beautifully with Thanksgiving fare. While most Americans equate Scotch with smoky, peated whiskeys, there are plenty of light, fruity Scotches to complement, say, a slice of pumpkin pie or cranberry sauce. From the pre-lunch cheese plate to the roast turkey and the post-feast stroll, here are the drams to savor with your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. 

Bourbon has long been the darling of my palate, but a dram of Glenglassaugh SandEnd, an unpeated, fruit-forward whiskey, won me over to Scotch. Like Basil Hayden or Angel’s Envy, SandEnd’s texture is light and luscious, with notes of apricot, peach, and nectarine from a finish in bourbon, sherry, and manzanilla casks. 

The undulating glass texture of SandEnd’s bottle is an homage to the sea behind Glenglassaugh’s distillery in the Scottish Highlands. The nectar within also alludes to the ocean, with a slight tang of sea brine in the aftertaste. Imagine a wet smooch from Aphrodite as she rises out of the waves on her scallop shell—droplets of sea water on cherry-red lips. That’s a sip of SandEnd. The salt and fruit notes complement hors d’oeuvres like plates of sharp cheddar, smoked salmon, and Roquefort cheese.

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Robust, round, and packing an agreeable heat, The GlenDronach is an archetypical Highland whiskey—as quintessentially Highlander as a naked Pict smeared in blue paint and menacing Roman legionaries with a pike. The liquid’s dark color and viscous texture hint at a symphony of ripe plum, molasses, and blackberry jam. The GlenDronach finishes its 18-Year-Old in Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucia, embellishing the fruit flavors with a seductive, floral perfume. 

Glen Dronach 18-Year-Old is bold enough to stand up to charred meat and heavy side dishes like mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. The whiskey’s dark fruit notes make slices of cranberry sauce-drenched turkey sing like tartan-clad revelers on Robert Burns Day.

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I would be remiss not to include at least one peated heavy-hitter in any respectable Scotch round-up. Port Charlotte, an Islay whiskey crafted at the Bruichladdich Distillery, delivers that smoky, petrol-like funk that I so crave once in a while. As you would expect from an Islay classic, Port Charlotte is as smoky as a bonfire on a North Sea beach. In contrast to Speyside peat, which is derived from bark and leaves from ancient forests, Islay peat comes from seaweed and marine matter, lending notes of iodine and brine.

The whisky’s smoke is a scrumptious complement to stuffing, especially when the latter is laden with charred sausage and thyme. As the dram opens in your glass, you’ll notice hints of burnt orange peel, charred oak, and fresh seaweed. Bruichladdich also recently partnered with ButcherBox, a company delivering meal kits featuring top-notch meats and seafood. The Scotch and Sear Box bundles a bottle of Port Charlotte along with a smorgasbord of frozen steaks, scallops, and artisanal bacon—an easy Christmas gift for my dad and Uncle Jack. 

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Whiskey lovers with a sweet tooth tend to gravitate towards Speyside, a region of Scotland famed for silky drams sparkling with whiffs of candied fruit and honey. The signature flavor profile of Benriach is like a bottled spring breeze through an orchard—a potpourri of apples, pears, and fresh honey. The Benriach Smokey Twelve is peated, but far less intensely than the Port Charlotte. 

The cheese fruit notes and brown sugar aromas bring to mind apple streusel, and this whiskey is a match made in heaven for warm apple pie. The subtle smoke and notes of bitter chocolate, marmalade, and apple cut through the richness of a slice of pumpkin pie or a scoop of ice cream, too.

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I’m gonna call a spade a spade: roast turkey is bland fare. I respect the importance of tradition, but my mouth doesn’t water at a heaping plate of dry, stringy bird just because the Pilgrims ate it as survival food. Fortunately, my family supplements Thanksgiving turkey with a more succulent protein: roast beef and horseradish sauce. 

Bourbon and steak is a classic pairing, but since we’re talking Scotch, I like Glengoyne 12-Year-Old, a whisky aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, to pair with beef. Like a robust Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, this whisky packs oak and red fruit notes for miles—flavors that elevate the umami notes in roast beef. Aged in ex-Sherry casks, Glengoyne 12-Year-Old has a sweet aftertaste, which I find a delicious counterbalance to the bite of horseradish sauce. 

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Sure, technically Keeper’s Heart is an Irish whiskey, not a Scotch. But if Braveheart—a film widely lauded for its historical accuracy—taught me anything, it’s that the Scots and Irish are practically brothers, at least in their shared disdain for meddling English overlords.

Keeper’s Heart 21 Year Old Single Malt, retailing for $1000, is a whiskey I only pour on very special occasions. My family’s tradition of taking a post-feast walk around the neighborhood, a time to soak in the glorious fall weather and shoot the shit with my cousins and siblings, warrants pouring a flask of this prized treasure. And as the bottle’s Latin inscription, Fugit Hora, or time flies, reminds me, quality moments with kith and kin should be savored to the fullest—ideally with top-shelf libations. 

The mash bill in Keeper’s Heart 21 Year Irish Single Malt is a mix of malted and unmalted barley, with the unmalted admixture lending a creamy texture and slight sweetness. Keeper’s Heart finishes this whiskey in ex-Tokaj barrels from Hungary. Tokaj wines, hailed as “The Wine of Kings, and the King of Wines,” were a favorite indulgence of Renaissance popes and pack a higher sugar content than honey. The floral notes of Tokaj shine through in every sip—an angelic choir of delicate flavors best savored sans accompanying food. 

The finest whiskeys, I find, evoke memories more than distinct flavors. When I sip Keeper’s Heart 21-Year-Old, my soul recollects the gardenia-scented perfume of my college girlfriend—the fragrance of golden joy and youthful love. 

Learn more at Keeper’s Heart