BY ELIOT ACOSTA
Jeff Mickel had been involved in the craft brewing scene for several years in the 2000s when he noticed that a craft whiskey scene was emerging—opening up a space for a business to fill. Nobody at that time was supplying the growing demand for unique and small-batch whiskeys as Mickel envisioned doing it.
Recognizing the opportunity, Mickel teamed with longtime chef Michael Thor to open Whiskey Kitchen. According to Mickel, “We set out to become the destination in Raleigh for anyone—novices to experts—who wanted a place to discover, explore and enjoy whiskey from all over the world.”
The Space
Mickel and Thor established Whiskey Kitchen in a historic building adjacent to downtown Raleigh’s Nash Square Park in 2016. Built in 1920, the location originally housed a garage and went on over the years to house businesses ranging from an EMS station to a hub for limousine services. Mickel recalls, “Once we saw the space, we knew it would be a perfect fit. The size, vibe and location were exactly what we were looking for.” Leaning into the building’s past, Whiskey Kitchen has preserved the space’s legacy by keeping its large garage door, repurposing it as the gateway between its expansive, open-air dining room and its sprawling patio.
The Whiskey
Whiskey Kitchen features over 600 whiskeys, including extensive lists of scotches, bourbons and ryes as well as other whiskeys from across the globe. They add new whiskeys almost every week. Naturally, the bar menu features pages of whiskeys from the various regions of Scotland as well as an immense catalog from well-established domestic regions such as Kentucky and Tennessee.
The bar also features many whiskeys from Ireland, Japan, and emerging regions such as India and France as part of its globetrotting menu. For patrons who want a chance to sample a variety of available spirits, the bar offers flights, which team multiple 1-ounce pours.
The Kitchen
A native to the eastern North Carolina town of New Bern, Whiskey Kitchen’s executive chef Ian McKenney was introduced to cooking through his father. “If there was an interesting dish, [my dad] would try [cooking] it. He helped me build an interest in food,” says McKenney. His early interest in food led McKenney to start his professional cooking career at 18 when he moved to Fort Worth, Texas to cook at a seafood restaurant.
Eventually, McKenney returned to North Carolina, settling in Raleigh to run the kitchen at Bolt Bistro at the center of the capital city’s downtown. Following his time at Bolt Bistro, McKenney took leadership roles in other kitchens. After coming to an introspective crossroads in his career, McKenney joined the Whiskey Kitchen team in 2018 as a line cook in an effort to rediscover himself. “I was really trying to get a reset,” he says. “I really wasn’t in that core root of cooking.” Reestablishing himself, McKenney rose to the position of sous chef within six months of his tenure at Whiskey Kitchen. He became executive chef in 2021.
McKenney has channeled his Southern roots into the creation of Whiskey Kitchen’s menu, with the influence seen in dishes like the restaurant’s crackling biscuits and seasonal pork chops—and in one of the menu’s mainstays: boiled peanuts. “It’s a classic Southern staple,” says McKinney. “Coming from New Bern, there would always be a vat of boiled peanuts. One, it’s a great bar snack and two, the dish sets us apart with our Southern roots.”
Though Whiskey Kitchen’s food menu has some mainstays, many of its dishes change seasonally to emphasize local produce. Dishes like apricot salad and sweet potato pie showcase North Carolina’s culinary bounty.
Whiskey + Kitchen
Although Whiskey Kitchen’s menu is inspired by Southern U.S. cuisine, dishes such as catfish tonkatsu, bangers and boxty, and curried mahi extend the international flair of its liquor menu into its food menu. “A lot of the variety comes from the whiskey market itself. [The menu reflects] larger markets for producing and consuming whiskey,” says McKinney.
McKenney leans on Whiskey Kitchen’s Master of Spirits, Johnny Berry Jr., to ensure the dishes pair well with the beverage program. “It’s a symbiotic relationship. The whiskey will change the experience of eating the dish—how flavor profiles and texture are experienced. But the flavor of the dish will change the experience of the whiskey.” says McKenney.
As a way to further bridge the intersection of their food and liquor, Whiskey Kitchen hosts paired whiskey dinners. These multi-course meals collaborate with specific distilleries, such as Glenmorangie, to match special dishes with their liquors.
You can learn more about Whiskey Kitchen’s paired dinners and other events, and view both the extensive whiskey menu and the current food menu at whiskey.kitchen.
WHISKEY KITCHEN’S BOILED PEANUTS
Ingredients
1 pound peanuts
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 bay leaf
¼ cup Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1. Add everything except salt to a pot and fill with water until the peanuts are covered by approximately 2 inches.
2. Bring to a simmer, cover and let the peanuts cook overnight (8–10 hours).
3. Once the peanuts are tender, add the salt and enjoy!
