Matt Chambers Whisky fanatic, having sought out whisky from countries all around the world, and writes about them at Whisky For Everyone.

As a London-based whisky commentator I get regularly invited to whisky tastings and brand launches. Most follow tried and trusted routines. Nothing wrong with that, but they can seem formulaic sometimes. Sometimes something changes your thoughts, opening both eyes and mind. For me, this came at the recent launch of a new Chivas Regal whisky.

The words ‘Experimental Chef’ and ‘Exploration Lab’ on the invitation filled me with a slight sense of dread. I pictured a gimmicky tasting, albeit in a cool venue, that would push food and whisky pairing. Quickly I discovered just how wrong those initial feelings would be …

The ‘Experimental Chef’ in question was Jozef Youssef, founder of Kitchen Theory. His multi-sensual food experiences have brought him many plaudits and his impressive CV shows time in top UK kitchens, including The Fat Duck with Heston Blumenthal….