23/04/2023, 11:08 Dinner with shape-shifting whisky spirits at HQ

MENU SIGN IN

LIFESTYLE FOOD DRINK DRINK

Dinner with shape-shifting whisky spirits at HQ

Josie’s well provides some of the water, and pretty as it is, provides texture alone.

Published Mar 8, 2019

Written by

Bernard Gutman

SHARE

It was a double whisky past midnight one warm August at the

Mansefield Hotel in Scotland, where a few hundred bottles of
Scotch Whisky distilled decades ago looked down invitingly from
their resting place behind the bar. 

 
https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/food-drink/drink/dinner-with-shape-shifting-whisky-spirits-at-hq-19739074 1/6
23/04/2023, 11:08 Dinner with shape-shifting whisky spirits at HQ

Scotland was in the middle of a heatwave, where temperatures reached 28C – almost

unheard of at that time of year – and the locals turned to tried and tested tipple to
cool down.

In amongst all the rare single malts and blends, the drink of choice for most people
in the bar was a Chivas 12 and soda. That night, a classic blended whisky, a block
of ice and splash of soda soothed the parched palates of many a Scotsman, and
this South African.

And that got me thinking, as whisky after midnight often does, about classic
drinks and favourite food combinations.

 A thought became a plan and the team at

HQ Restaurant came up with a spectacular menu
for a whisky dinner this Wednesday, the 13th
March. 
Tuna with chilli, coconut and lime, espresso and chocolate and their signature steak
and chips. 

More on this

Can drinking whisky really cure your cold?

Glenmorangie unveils Allta, the first whisky using wild yeast

The whiskies we’ll be enjoying contain legendary Single Malts, including the Single
Malt that started it all and one from the oldest, licensed, continuously operating
distillery in Scotland.

Malts such as Strathisla, Longmorn and The Glenlivet contribute sweetness, rich
fruits, nuttiness and mystery to the blend. 

Where do the flavours come from? 

https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/food-drink/drink/dinner-with-shape-shifting-whisky-spirits-at-hq-19739074 2/6
23/04/2023, 11:08 Dinner with shape-shifting whisky spirits at HQ

The water? No. Josie’s well provides some of the water, and pretty as it is, provides
texture alone. The flavours come from the malts, grains and aged oak barrels the
whisky rests in, for 12 years and more.

But what about the spirits?

Rumour has it that many of the water sources for Scotch whisky are inhabited by
Kelpies. These shape-changing spirits haunt streams and rivers, appearing as horses
and other animals, kidnapping the unsuspecting Scots. 

Many a time whisky production stopped because the Kelpies frightened the distillery
workers away, so the workers hid in the nearest bar. Clever chaps, these distillery
folk, one can’t take the risk of capture by Kelpie.

R345, a call to 021-424 6373 or email info@hqrestaurant.co.za will keep

your Wednesday night safe from Kelpies, in good company, with Chivas Extra, 12, 15
and 18 as your spirit companions paired with HQ’s dishes.

RELATED TOPICS:

SHARE

You may like

Former Miss Rwanda reveals how Thabo Bester and Dr

Nandipha tried to lure her to Cape Town for $3m Netflix gig
By Sisipho Bhuta | Published 2h ago

Skinny jeans are out – here are a few styles you should be
wearing instead
By Gerry Cupido | Published 15h ago

https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/food-drink/drink/dinner-with-shape-shifting-whisky-spirits-at-hq-19739074 3/6