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Any tips for a starting Whiskey-drinker?

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@NickVerstijlen
NickVerstijlen started a discussion

I drink Whiskey for about 8 years now, but only recently I got interested in the better whisky's. Thanks to Mark Dermul's Whiskey Ramblings I got to know about Auchentoshan. Now I finished half a bottle of the Auchentoshan Three Wood. Love it! Also loving the smell of it. You can definitely smell the Pedro Cheminez caskets in which the whiskey had matured. But what I would like to learn is to taste and smell all of the different thinks like wood, leather, butterscotch etc. I can't distinct those tasts and smells. Any tips for doing this?

Hopefully I can describe the taste/nose etc. of whiskey's like it should, very soon thanks to your tips!

11 years ago

13 replies

@WhiskyBee
WhiskyBee replied

Getting the hang of nosing whisky takes time, to be sure. It took me at least a few months before I was confident enough to identify the various aromas. Learning to find what's lurking around the alcohol smell is the key. Have patience, good sir, and you will indeed learn to do it.

Don't know if you've discovered Ralfy yet, but he offers some pretty good advice on nosing in his "Whisky Masterclass" series of videos. Go to ralfy.com and search for either "masterclass" (one word) or video #209, part 3. (The entire Masterclass series is worth watching, if you have a long evening to spare.)

11 years ago 2Who liked this?

@NickVerstijlen

@WhiskyBee Thanks WhiskeyBee! Going to watch Ralfy tonight. Already have seen one video of him though, which I came across yesterday on YouTube.

11 years ago 0

@Wodha
Wodha replied

You've got experience. My two cents: Start at the bottom and work your way up. You'll taste everything and really start to enjoy the better stuff based on the experience. I know a few folks that want in on whisky and they ask "what's the best?" And then go out and buy The Macallan 18, have a sip and say "is that all there is?" It's a jorney and there's no hurry. Start at the bottom and claw you way up.

11 years ago 5Who liked this?

@NickVerstijlen

@Wodha I guess it is like that with many things. Years ago I started with drinking Johnny Walker and VAT 69 mixed with Cola. But soon I wanted to try and drink my whiskey pure. JW Red Label and Vat 69 are no great whiskeys to drink pure. So I went out and bought the JW Green Label, because some friends said it was good. And yes, this one I liked. After that I also tried the Glenn Fiddisch 18. Loved it as well. And that's how it started... I never drink whiskey-cola's anymore. ;-)

11 years ago 2Who liked this?

@cpstecroix
cpstecroix replied

One way to become better at nosing whisky is just to be more mindful of everything you eat and drink. You can't very well say something smells like Seville oranges if you don't know what Seville oranges taste/smell like...pay attention in the other parts of your life and the references will come.

After that, don't take it too seriously, it's all pretty subjective, no one is the absolute authority. If you can't find a note that someone else has found, it's not necessarily you...

11 years ago 4Who liked this?

@NickVerstijlen

@cpstecroix Thanks that is actually a pretty good tip! Why didn't I think of that one myself... I'm going to a Whiskey-tasting wednesday the 23rd. Hope to learn a bit more then! Going to put your tip to the test!

11 years ago 0

@mallen
mallen replied

I think it was a Dave Broom article in 'Whiskey Advocate' that spoke to this somewhat. Basically go out and smell everything. Grass ,straw,nuts, fruit....you name it. Grind'em up and smell away. Maybe even throw some stuff in the oven. Bake it up and have fun. Also consider some food parings. Chocolate, fruit, nuts. Don't make it hard. Have fun. Grab some friends and compare thoughts. They may offer you some "oh yeah that's it" moments.

11 years ago 0

@NVGeo
NVGeo replied

It took me a two weeks to identify orange marmalade in the nose of Strathisla 12. I had detected it in about the second nosing, but couldn't name it until about the fifth. It just took a while to come to me what it was I was smelling. A lot of them are like that for me. They take time.

Look at the variations in the descriptions of nose in all the reviews on this site. Like someone said, it is individual, just like appreciation of art or music, but there are common threads.

11 years ago 0

@Abunadhman
Abunadhman replied

@NickVerstijlen: For me the most important moment on my Whisky journey was when I started to taste with other Whisky Drinkers; at tastings, clubs, friends over etc. You will learn more, more quickly than nursing your choice Malt on your lonesome - Throw a couple of young palates (especially women) into the group & you will learn even faster. Many young women have an outstanding grasp and recognition of different flavour components and more often than not they will come up with the correct description while you are still scratching your "noggin'! It can be a fast learning curve.

Good Luck.

11 years ago 1Who liked this?

Jason0142 replied

I'd like to give the quick tip of if your really wanting to get into whisky tasting you'd want to get a proper tasting glass like a Glencairn or something similar.

11 years ago 0

@NickVerstijlen

@Jason0142 You mean a tulip-glass?

11 years ago 0

@HughesDePayens

@NickVerstijlen In terms of glasses, the most important thing is the way it curves. You don't want one whose top curves outward because that diffuses the aromas and nullifies them. You need one that curves inward at the top because that concentrates the aromas by pushing them towards the center and out of the glass.

This is a glencairn glass: scottishshop.ca/wp-content/uploads/…

You can see that it bubbles at the bottom in order to let more evaporation occur, and then forces the evaporated alcohol (which contains the aroma) upwards, and inwards, out of the glass.

Any glass with a shape somewhat similar to this would be fine, even a white wine glass like this: fresh.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/…

But most people seem to recommend the glencairn, myself included, because it also helps you measure your pour (you pour to the thickest part and that's a nice dram).

11 years ago 0