The 10 Best Whiskey And Ramen Pairings, According To The Experts

Ramen is a dish with many facets. Textures and flavors in the broth are in large supply, and toppings can really run the gamut. And, of course, no good ramen is complete without a bustling nest of springy, chewy noodles to slurp endlessly. So, how can this seemingly perfect meal be improved upon? Why, with a whiskey pairing, of course! While not the most traditional of food and booze pairings, the nuanced flavor profile of a number of quality whiskies makes this a match-up worth noodling on.

How do you find the perfect pairing? Adam O'Brien, owner of O'Brien and Brough, recommends looking at commonalities. "Toasty flavors come to mind as they're common in both malt whiskey and ramen," he notes. "In whiskey, they largely originate from the drying and toasting of the malted barley, but in ramen, they could come from roasting the broth ingredients, the noodle flours, or so many other ways throughout the cooking process."

We asked a number of ramen and whiskey experts to give us their go-to pairings, and they agreed — common ingredients tend to get along. Additionally, look for contrasting flavor profiles. Slurping on an especially rich and creamy broth? Find yourself a whiskey with sweet notes and a wisp of spice to cut through the richness. Finding a whiskey that complements the flavors and textures in the ramen rather than drowning them out is the way to achieve the perfect sip and slurp every time.

A salty, creamy broth typically made with miso, chicken stock, vegetables, and ground pork, miso ramen is a comforting, beautiful bowl of noodles to enjoy in the chilliest of winter months. As such, it deserves to be paired with a spirit that is equally as comforting. It's helpful to look for a whiskey that can complement any and all of the flavor components within, which is why Will Woodington, national brand ambassador for Grain and Barrel Spirits, recommends pairing it with Chicken Cock Mizunara bourbon. Rich and complex with all the familiar flavor notes of wintertime, this is a pairing that was designed for enjoying only on the crispiest of days.

According to Woodington, the unique flavor profile of Mizunara oak, a rare species native to Japan, is what makes it such an ideal pairing for the sweet, nutty notes in miso ramen. Layers of cherry cordial, sandalwood, and wintery spices in the bourbon play nicely with the deep savory and umami notes in the ramen for a back-and-forth of salty and sweet combined with warmth and complexity.

With its soy sauce base and umami flavor throughout, shoyu ramen has a lot of dominant flavors happening in the bowl. Unlike the shio ramen, which is a salt base, the soy sauce in the shoyu broth makes for a much deeper, more savory broth. For pairing purposes, your best bet is to find a whiskey that can cut through all that richness. A Kentucky bourbon, specifically Maker's Mark, is an ideal choice here. Sweet with some pleasant fruit notes, the original Maker's Mark expression goes hand in hand with all that flavor.

The secret to this pairing is in the mash bill. Rather than use rye, Maker's Mark uses soft red winter wheat for a bourbon that doesn't have any burn or sharp edges to it. Instead, notes of vanilla, oak, and bright stone fruit are top of the palate, with a smooth, clean finish. With all the heavy salt notes in a shoyu, having something bright and crisp to pair it with makes each noodle-heavy slurp a balanced one.

"It's fair to say that if you enjoy curry ramen, you enjoy the spicier things in life," said Will Woodington. Curry ramen is really a fusion of traditional ramen with Japanese curry, rich in spices with a thick, almost stew-like broth and plenty of springy noodles to go around. The key here is the spice, meaning you'll want to find a whiskey that can stand up to such a whopping flavor punch. A low-proof rye whiskey is a great choice here, and Fort Hamilton single-barrel rye perfectly fits the bill.

A straight rye whiskey tends to be on the spicier side, which, when combined with a spicy ramen, may seem like overkill. However, Fort Hamilton's rye is 90 proof, meaning that while there are certainly some notes of spice, like cinnamon and black pepper, it's generally a smoother, more well-balanced sip. There are notes of bright fruit and some earthy, herbaceous flavors, which also contrast nicely with the curry spice. This pairing is certainly a spicy one overall, but if you consider yourself any kind of a spice lord, this is the one for you.

Just like miso and shio, shoyu is a type of ramen that is defined by the flavoring used in the broth. According to Julian Valencia, executive chef and beverage director at Ani Ramen, shoyu is typically made with a specific tare — a concentrated seasoning — consisting of sake, mirin, aromatics, and soy sauce. The rich, savory flavor with slight bittersweet notes is ideal for something sweet with some earthiness to it, and Valencia recommends Nikka Coffey grain whisky to answer the call.

Made from 100% malted barley and matured in old casks, Nikka Coffey grain whisky is rich and complex, with a slightly buttery taste and silky texture that pairs nicely with the salt-forward shoyu ramen. The broth is savory and luxurious from the braised pork belly and starchy ramen noodles, so it only makes sense to pair it with something a little sweet and oaky to cut through all that richness. To complement the flavors further, Valencia recommends topping your ramen with scallions, yu choy, and cabbage, letting the vegetal notes pair with the slightly earthy finish of the whisky.

Miso is a versatile condiment that brings a lot to a bowl of ramen. According to Julian Valencia, the fermented soybeans can add salty, sweet, fruity, and even earthy flavors to the broth simultaneously. With such a symphony of flavor notes, it makes sense to pair it with a whiskey that can bring just as much in terms of flavor and complexity without taking away flavor from the ramen itself, and Michter's Kentucky straight rye does just that.

Sweet and citrusy with deep notes of vanilla, toasted almonds, and cinnamon spice, this particular Michter's expression cuts through the heat and richness of the ramen without sacrificing one slurp of flavor. While these are two strong flavors coming together, Valencia notes that they're really the perfect match, balancing each other out without one overpowering the other. Additionally, while there aren't any restrictions on the type of broth used in this specific type of ramen, Valencia notes that a good miso ramen should have an earthy flavor and a thick and creamy broth, making a pairing with a sweet and spicy rye an ideal combination.

Ramen is undoubtedly the soup of choice when planning what to eat in the depths of winter, but there are also ramen options that speak to the lighter, warmer months as well. Shio, which translates to salt in Japanese, is a clear, more delicate soup typically served with chicken and pork bones and bonito flakes, differing greatly from its creamier, thicker ramen siblings. However, the key word here is salt. Finding a boozy pairing for this particular ramen means looking for a whiskey with differing notes — sweet and sour, for example — to contrast all that savory flavor. For this, Julian Valencia recommends Suntory Toki.

Valencia describes Toki as a "silky Japanese whiskey with a subtly sweet and spicy finish due to hints of white pepper and ginger ... the subtle saltiness in the shio ramen mellows with the sweet, spicy, sour notes of Toki providing a new layer of complexity to the meal." Think of this pairing as a meal that comes with its own palate cleanser, making each bite taste like it's the first one.

Of all the ramen varieties, tonkotsu ramen is arguably the richest and most flavor-forward. The broth is made from pork bones that are simmered for 24 hours — sometimes longer, depending on who's making it — in large pots, allowing the bones to release their marrow. The result is an unctuous broth, brimming with flavor from all that fat. So, how do you pair a ramen with such a big, borderline excessive attitude? You find a whiskey with an attitude that is just as big and bold, and Julian Valencia recommends Hudson Whiskey's Bright Lights, Big Bourbon to get the job done.

Made from 95% corn and 5% malted barley and aged for three years in American oak barrels, Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is flavor-forward, with notes of vanilla and salted caramel dominating the palate. It's this heavy-hitting type of whiskey that pairs so effortlessly with a tonkotsu, cutting through the rich broth with sweetness and a little heat. Plus, at 92 proof, Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is easy drinking, meaning you can get away with some bigger sips in between long, drawn-out slurps of ramen.

As a salt-based broth, shio ramen has the benefit of having a lighter body with less fat. When pairing with whiskey, choosing something with a light body and smooth texture is a great way to get a balanced meal. Chef Basil Yu, chef and owner of Yagi Noodles, recommends opting for Kikori rice whiskey for your next bowl of shio. Made from 100% rice, Kikori has a lot of the flavors and characteristics of a traditional sake — think light and fresh with subtle sweetness — with notes of lemon zest, vanilla, and fruit.

"The delicate nature of shio ramen and this whiskey complement each other and don't fight each other on the palate," notes Yu. The important word here is delicate — a soup that feels like it's floating on air should be matched with something similar in volume and body, which is why a rice whiskey like Kikori is the ideal pairing. That said, despite its lightness, shio isn't lacking in flavor one bit, so pairing it with a whiskey that has a more subtle flavor will help to enhance the complexity that's already happening in the bowl.

There's a whole lot of nuance to consider when it comes to pairing food and alcohol, but one of the simplest things to remember is the ingredients themselves. Eating something with rice? Pairing it with a rice-based spirit is a bit of a no-brainer. In this case, chef Basil Yu recommends pairing a miso ramen, which is made from koji fermented soybean, with Ohishi eight-year-old sherry cask whisky, a whisky that is also made with koji.

This expression is aged for eight years in sherry casks and made with koji-infused rice rather than malted barley. The resulting flavor is rich in fruit, toasted rice, and warming spices, but with a light body. Since traditional miso ramen also tends to have a lighter body than something like a tonkotsu, pairing it with the rice-based whisky keeps everything light without sacrificing any flavor.

When it comes to going full throttle in regards to flavor and spice in ramen, tantanmen is the order. Inspired by Chinese dan dan noodles, tantanmen ramen has layers of spice, fat from the ground pork, and a rich and creamy broth to tie it all together. This is not a ramen for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, and as such, it needs an equally big and outgoing whiskey.

To achieve the perfect pairing here, chef Basil Yu recommends Nikka Whisky From the Barrel, which is a high-proof (51.4% ABV) blended whisky made with over 100 different batches of malt and grain whiskies. The result is an intense and rich flavor profile with some heat that can stand up to the high fat content and spice of the ramen. The whisky also has some sweeter, more dessert-like flavor elements to it, which can help to cut through the tantanmen's deep umami flavor. For chef Yu, it's this contrast that makes this such a good pairing, with each bite making you want to take another sip. Because of the high proof intensity of the whisky, adding an ice cube to the pour will help to balance out the heat and make for a more balanced, well-rounded pairing.