Never as good as the first time?

This is a philosophical question rather than a whisky question, I guess. Something new and unexpected is always better?

I've sometimes found the opposite - occasionally a "difficult" whisky reveals itself over time.

I'm a big music fan, I find I can get bored of albums I really liked on first listen while other, more difficult, albums take a little work and can become favourites over time.

I recently experienced something similar with a Whisky Society Rosebank. I didn't like it the first time I tried it - I did have pretty high expectations - I found it aggressive, waxy and not that enjoyable. My second try a few days later revealed fruit, sweetness and gentle smoke. The following week I tried it again and it has become my current favourite in my cabinet, I'm thinking of buying another bottle.

I think the condition of your mouth and nose must have an effect as well because the same dram can taste radically different dependent on mouth and olfactory "chemistry". If I have a slight cold or am very tired I find I taste things differently.

This is the Rosebank if any one is interested: thewhiskysociety.com/rosebank_02_1990%5…

To me, tasting and enjoying whisky is a bit like making love. It takes time and effort, but you always come back for more as it keeps geting better. A lot has to do with the fact that you get to know her (the whisky, I mean) more and more, with all her layers of complexity.

@markjedi1 you're such a romantic ;)

Having a bit of a Swiss Toni moment there Mark? :)

From Wikipedia: 'To Toni almost any situation in life is best understood as being "like making love to a beautiful woman"' en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Toni

LOL - thanks for the link, I actually had to look up Swiss Toni. I'm not much of a TV-guy. I'm a book and computer guy - quite the nerd, actually.

Haha, making love and whiskey... my two favorite things. I just wondered if this happens to anyone one else? Piero, nailed it on the head i think... its all about what is going on with your sensory receptors.

I can say I've had it happen both ways, I've found that a whisky hasn't been good the first time, but I've also gone back to one I wasn't thrilled and found it better than I remembered.