Tasting Notes

I usually just break my reviews down to the following Nose (the smell), Taste and Finish. I often throw a few comments with some personal feelings about a dram as well. The best taste chart I've come across is located on this page:

nicks.com.au/index.aspx/

Hope that helps!

wibcasto, just write from the gut like many here do. I too try to add 'Nose', 'Body', 'Palate' and 'Finish', but there are no real rules as far as I can tell. For me, being a novice still, the personal comments are the most important (because I can identify with those more than with the more technical connoisseurs terms - which are educational, surely!). Go on, give it a go. Looking forward to your notes.

I like to add a purely subjective category, balance or perhaps overall impression to the list. I try to answer a few questions to arrive at a conclusion.

Are there any tastes that don't belong or dominates too much?

Do nose, taste and finish say the same thing?

Are there any surprises? This can be both positive and negative.

How is it reacting to water? A youngish whisky of good quality should tolerate a lot of water before the tastes break down and the alcohol starts to dominate.

Am I enjoying it?

Trying to "objectively" taste whiskies is, IMHO, impossible - one can allude to smells, etc and agree with others, sure, but realising that your notes are your notes is a big step to enjoying whisky, I say.

Personally, I like to keep notes on when/where I'd drink a dram - some are exciting for their novelty, others are great for drinking with others until 7am. Context.

I use a personally modified one based off the Nicks site @jdcook mentioned. It's using the winespider ratings, but for spirits/whisky: nicks.com.au/Index.aspx/

More detailed pdf can be found here: nicks.com.au/admin/upload/…

I've got it all set up on an excel spreadsheet now, makes my notes easier to track and sort and auto calculates totals. But essentially the ratings are based on Nose (aroma, intensity), Palate (complexity, concentration), Alcohol By (mouthfeel, reduction), and Finish (after-taste). Each gets a score out of 10, added up, then divided by the maximum possible to give a % out of 100.