Discerning Scents and Flavors

Took me 10 or so years (certain years I drank more, others less) before I could even think in those terms. I am a slow learner with some things so your results may vary. I certainly am enjoying the discovery process! I feel alot like you. At first it was hard to identify distinct flavors, just general dry/sweet/salty etc, but I guess I got used to it so I could. It is a very personal thing where I am not guessing but am actually tasting these flavors. For me they are all mixed and sometimes hard to taste the progression of flavors, as they happen simultaneously and maybe that's the next step? But I keep sipping and get them all written down and then its like a list of smells. I think that a good reviewer (Your Micheal Jacksons RIP, Dave Brooms etc..) should make these lists not read like lists but give a kind of story or define a character. I think this is an impossible question but I am pretty sure the answer is drinking more!

A few ideas that work for me: take small sips, savor and chew on your sip for 10 to 20 seconds ... breathing out now and then ... what are you tasting ? Then slowly swallow, breathe out and focus on your taste and smell while you swallow ... and then the aftertaste as well. Drink a little water in between, and then have another sip ... with the same process. Did that help at all ? Good luck in your discovery ...

I agree with AboutChoice's ideas. I find that having two or three different but very small drinks (like 15cl or about 1/3 oz or so) in the same night helps me better identify the flavors in the different drinks. I find this somewhat more enjoyable than just having a 50cl or so single drink. I also find that after one 50cl my taste buds get a little more warped. I also read that before you have had any food, your taste buds are most discerning. While I don't advocate drinking whisky in the morning, I've been in the habit of fasting all day Sunday until dinner. A few times I've broke the fast with a tiny drink of whisky and noted that my taste buds are sharper, something to try if you can.

SO, a couple of things:

First, I agree with a couple of other folks here that the way you nose and taste make an enormous difference. First, use decent stemware. A GlenCairn blender's glass at the least; a true copita, best case. The GlenCairn will perhaps have the best overall drinking experience--it's easier to take a sip from it than from the copita--but the copita will reveal far more on the nose.

Second, nose the whisky for a very long time before ever taking a sip. This kind of sets the stage; your palate will be ready when you take a sip. You'll also pick up more detail if you're a bit hungry when you nose and taste.

Now, about how to nose most effectively: there are several ways I go about it, each with it's own merits, and I use all for every nosing/tasting. The main one, though is this: tilt the glass (a real nosing glass, right?) and hold it above your upper lip and below your nose. With your mouth open, breathe in through your mouth and nose at the same time, with the majority of the air entering through your mouth. You will immediately get more complexity. Do this for a long time. Do it with the glass in different positions; nose above the upper rim, nose deep into the glass, below the lower rim, hold the glass far away from your face and bring it toward you as you inhale, etc. Get creative. Swril the spirit. Let the spirit rest. Hold the glass away and allow your senses to re-set, then start again.

Then when you can't wait anymore, take a moderate breath, and holding it take a small sip. As the whisky slides down your throat, gently exhale through your mouth and nose at the same time, with the majority of the air exiting through your nose. Rub your tongue lightly against the roof of your mouth as the breath is released.

The above will make a big difference. But the real magic comes from a rather zen concept: be in the present moment and be open to what the whisky is presenting. This is easier said than done, but this alone will improve your enjoyment of your whisky more than all of the above. It's like you zone out, allowing your thoughts to disappear, and waiting for the whisky to place itself into the space where your thoughts were before. And voila--a recognition will take place: "Orange biscotti sprinkled with powdered sugar, slightly overbaked". Or "Dried orange zest tossed with vanilla pipe tobacco stuffed into the bowl of Grandpa's pipe". It's an exercise in mindfulness, if you will.

Enjoy.

Ch

@Charlie-Davis . Experience and practice are the key. Try different techniques and I agree with some folks sniff it for a long time before tasting it. It will make your nose used to the alcohol and as you nose it, you will find more and more different scents. Everything is about associating a scent to an image in your brain's memory. In order to enhance this, you need to improve the scent-image association, which is usually lacking to every beginners. When I first started, I was scenting a lot or aromas, but could not quite point what it was. The reason is that we usually store in our memory the image of a pear, for instance without the link to its scent that is stored in another memory section because it is useless normally . So, the technique that was once given to me by a French wine expert, was to practice by nosing a pear and looking at it to clearly associate the scent with the image. It worked well in my case as I saw a clear improvement to my nosing ability. The flavors will come with it. I know it looks a bit odd, but it worked.
Another tip would be to avoid trying to nose what everybody says it should nose. Start by making your own mind. You will see that you are not that bad and it will increase your self confidence.

@Kutter: Awesome.

The mystery of it all trying to make those associations, is more than half the fun. For sure, the more you do it, and the more you ignore those who think you're nuts, or a snob, the more you'll get out of your whisky. Over time, I have been less concerned with being able to pinpoint exactly the association I'm making--although that's important in order to write reviews and describe the dram--but recently I've been more interested in simply appreciating the experience as it's own unique thing, rahter than trying to pin it down.

And something else happens: you develop a taste for more expensive drams, but appreciate the less expensive ones more than you enjoyed the more expensive ones before you learned to truly nose.

Ch

Some people have what I call super taste buds. They have the ability to taste every nuance of whisky and easily identify what it tastes or smells like. I tend to identify caramel, burnt sugar, floral, salty, bitter, cherry, citris, etc. I agree with everyone about how to "chew it" and that it takes some time. Everybody will be different.

One thing that my palate is especially attuned to is barrel tannins. I'll pick those up quite easily.

I have found a couple bits of advice to be valuable:

1) Nose the glass three times in short succession. The first smell is mostly alcohol; the second approach offers a hint of the whisky's profile; and the third approach opens the aromas for more detailed nosing.

2) "It is not necessary to attach concrete names to the flavors (e.g. smoke, peat, sherry, fruit, coconut, toffee). Everyone experiences something different. It may remind you of a forest after rain or of a campfire on the beach. You may also describe it as dignified, evil, luxurious, or, if you can't find any words, complex." When you read my reviews, I do this a lot, as just making a list of aromas doesn't really help me when selecting what I'd like.

3) Compare the whisky to other whiskies, so your readers can get some practical information in the event they have actually tasted one of the whiskies you list. I'd say something like: "spicy, but not as much as the XXXX whisky." This gives some scale to the aroma/taste.

Hey guys, thank you very much for the much appreciated replies. They were quite insightful and very useful. I will certainly try, during my next whisky sessions, some of the techniques you mentioned. I'm quite positive that eventually I will be able to write a decent review :P.

Cheers.