How to taste whisky
Sometimes whisky can be intimidating, but we're here to guide you through our whisky tasting technique and provide some useful pointers to help you confidently get the most out of your whiskies in no time!
In this article you'll learn answers to these questions:
- What is a whisky tasting?
- What is the proper way to taste whisky?
- How do you get into tasting whisky?
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Reading time: 7 minutes
Are you interested in learning how to taste whisky so you can enjoy and appreciate this delicious spirit at your leisure?
Alternatively, have you been presented with the opportunity to taste a whisky, but it has dawned on you that you have forgotten how to do it? Have you excused yourself to the restroom, googled "how to do a whisky tasting" on your phone, and ended up on this webpage? Are you hoping we'll hurry up past this preamble and get to the whisky tasting instructions before somebody starts asking why you've been in the loo for so long?
The former situation is probably the more likely one, but either way, we've put together some handy advice to help guide you with figuring out how to taste Scotch whisky, American whiskey, Japanese whisky… Any kind of whisky, really!
What you'll need
Whisky
Glass
Water
Notebook
Appearance
Tulip-shaped whisky tasting glasses such as this Glencairn are designed to capture and focus aromas. If you don't have any, you'll find that a wine glass is better than a tumbler for this kind of tasting.
Nose
Palate
Top tasting tips
1. Add a drop of water
Once you've gone through tasting the whisky, add a few drops of water and try it again. This will lower its ABV, and may help to uncover some of the deeper notes that might have been hidden underneath the stronger elements.
2. Write down your notes
Notebooks are a bit like external brains. Writing down your tasting notes is very useful indeed, as you can refer back to them when trying new whiskies to spot and remember certain flavours from past drams.
3. Taste with friends
Share your whisky! With smells and flavours being so closely linked to memories, other people might pick up on different elements, so enjoying your whisky tasting with friends can help you discover new notes.
Taste your own way
Test your tastebuds
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