How to Taste Whiskey

(Information from: DistilleryTrail.com )

Appearance

Whiskey should be served at room temperature, between 64° F and 72° F. Tasting favors quality over quantity. A few ounces of whiskey (¾ to 1½ ounces max) is enough. Tilt the glass sideways and rotate it to make a complete circle. This way you ensure that the whiskey is well distributed over the whole inner surface of the bowl. This increases the oxidation surface, obtains dry residues and brings out the aromas present at the bottom of the glass. Having served the whiskey in a clear glass, your first sense to be stimulated will be that of sight, which will enable you to determine:

Color

By simply looking at your whiskey, you can determine the color and thus possibly the type of cask used for aging the whiskey, or even its age, provided, of course, that no coloring agent has been used. Whiskey that has not been artificially colored (‘non colored’) is preferable as the legal practice of adding caramel can have a negative impact on its profile.

Clarity

If it has not been chill-filtered, a whiskey of less than 46% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) will tend to become cloudy below a certain temperature, or when you add water to it. This opacity has no bearing on the quality of the whiskey. It is not a defect but rather is due to the fact that certain compounds are soluble only above 46% ABV. On the other hand, chill-filtration has an effect on the aromatic profile of whiskey, causing it to lose fatty acids, proteins and esters and thus to be deprived of richness and complexity.

Viscosity

Observing the legs (or tears) of a whiskey, and the slowness with which they fall, enables you to assess its alcohol content. In fact, these legs are the result of the difference in surface tension between the alcohol and the water contained in the whiskey (the Marangoni effect). As the surface tension is lower in alcohol than in water, the higher the alcohol content of the whiskey, the more legs there will be and the slower they will form and fall.

Once you have observed the whiskey, stand the glass upright again and wait for a few minutes to allow the aromas to become concentrated.

The Nose

This is perhaps the most important part of assessing a whiskey. Most whiskeys will reveal more to your olfactory system than to your palate. In fact, as most experts will say, tasting is simply to confirm what your nose has already told you.

But what does it tell you? First, give the whiskey a swirl to release the aromas then carefully bring it to your nose. Be warned however, the olfactory system is highly delicate, so don’t shove your nose into anything before checking the ABV. Those cask-strength beasties may singe your sinuses (figuratively at least); so, go easy. And sniff.

Search your mind for nostalgia! Smells are often linked to memories: grandfather’s desk (leather, wood, age, mustiness), Christmas with the family (Christmas cake, dried fruits, port), a hayloft in summer (dried grass, wood), a barbecue on the beach (salt, smoke, seaweed, cricket). Everyone will have their own memories, thus everyone will find their own descriptive flights of fancy.

First Stage

Hold the glass upright directly above your nose to allow the aromas time to rise. This enables you to experience the first aromas while allowing your nose time to adjust to the level of alcohol. It is important not to ventilate the whiskey (by swirling the glass as you would do for wine) if you want the aromas to remain concentrated. The higher the alcohol level, the more important it is to respect this adaptation phase to prevent your nose from ‘burning’.

Second Stage

While taking care not to spill the contents, turn the glass on its side so that it is perpendicular to your face. Now move the glass upwards in a straight line to assess the different aroma strata. In fact, the aromas from heavier volatile compounds (earthy, smoky, woody, etc. aromas) will remain concentrated at the bottom of the glass. Then, gradually moving up towards the rim, you will notice that the more volatile the particles, the higher they are in the glass: first the spicy, malty and winey aromas, then, higher up, the lighter (and thus more volatile) fruity and floral aromas.

Third Stage

Hold the glass perfectly horizontal: your nose should be directly above the top of the glass, a centimeter (½ in) from the rim. The circulation of air in the glass will dispel the aromas and the lighter elements will follow the inner surface of the bowl to be deposited at the top of the outer edge of the glass. This technique isolates the very light and volatile elements, such as acidulous and floral aromas, which are barely perceptible when mixed with more powerful aromas.

Fourth Stage

Vary the rate of your inhalation throughout the tasting. By doing so, you will vary the detection of molecules (depending on their ability to bind to the olfactory mucus). The molecules that have difficulty in binding to the olfactory mucus (low-sorption odorants) will be difficult to detect when the flow of air is rapid, and more easily distinguished when inhalation is slower. Conversely, molecules that bind easily (high sorption odorants) will be easily detected if the flow is rapid but less perceptible when it is slow, because they saturate the first part of the epithelial zone before they have had time to stimulate the whole of the olfactory surface.

Fifth Stage

Sniff using one nostril then the other. Nostrils operate in turn and, generally speaking, while one nostril is responsible for 80% of an inhalation, the other is obstructed by the swelling of the inner nasal concha. The two nostrils thus inhale at different rates and one or other of them will therefore have a higher propensity to convey aromatic molecules depending on the ability of the latter to bind to the olfactory epithelium.

Sixth Stage

Determine the aromatic families experienced by referring to the Chart of Flavors on the back page. In fact, the way in which we perceive the same aromatic compound may differ, but the element itself will remain unchanged. In the Chart, chemical compounds have been grouped into the same family when similarities in their structure reflect aromatic similarities. This method has the advantage of presenting tasters of all levels with a common grammar regarding the characteristics that emerge from the whiskeys they are tasting.

The Palate

While aromas and flavors possess no nutritional value, the opposite is also true: the nutritional components of drinks contribute neither their aromas nor their flavors. What gives whiskey its flavors are the sapid molecules of which it is composed. Aromatic perception thus results from the identification of chemical substances in the form of solutions (flavor) via the stimulation of chemo-receptors located on the tongue. Each type of taste receptor can be stimulated by a wide range of chemical substances but is particularly sensitive to a certain category: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savory (umami, glutamate), astringent, spicy, fatty, mineral (calcium) and metallic.

Seventh Stage

It is important to drink some very soft, neutral water at room temperature before beginning tasting (as well as throughout the process) to prevent variations in temperature and acidity affecting the palate. Before tasting a whiskey, you should also avoid consuming any food or drink with strong tastes that would be likely to alter it (for example coffee, licorice, mint, etc.)

Eighth Stage

In order to determine all the different compounds, you should taste only a tiny sip of a few milliliters (ounces) at a time. The absorption of tiny sips also has the advantage of familiarizing the palate to the strength of the alcohol. The whiskey should be masticated (chewed) for at least 30 seconds to stimulate the salivary glands. In fact, tasting is linked to the stimulation of sensory receptors on the tongue that function only with a liquid medium. By masticating the whiskey, the aromatic or sapid molecules will be released into the oral cavity and will accentuate the taste of the whiskey. It is also important to place the whiskey at the front, center and back of the tongue in order to try different positions and optimize the variety of aromatic effects.

The Finish

The finish corresponds to the stimulation of the sensory receptors by the aromatic molecules that are released from the mouth to the back of the throat, reaching the olfactory mucosa. Retro-olfaction thus accentuates the taste of the whiskey.

Ninth Stage

In order to optimize this retro-olfaction process, exhale deeply via the nose as soon as you have swallowed the sip of whiskey. Tasting also involves knowing how to classify the aromatic effects so as not to create confusion. Due to retronasal olfaction, an aromatic effect will persist. Taking another sip will create an aromatic effect that can combine with the previous one if there is perfect harmony, but can also, conversely, be superimposed on it. The persistence of an aromatic effect on the palate will, in itself, modify subsequent olfaction. This is why the aromatic effects of a whiskey reveal different notes at different stages of tasting.

The Empty Glass: The “Base” Notes

The empty glass contains the dry extract of the whiskey, in other words, all the substances that do not volatilize. It constitutes a concentrate of the structure around which the aromatic profile of the whiskey has developed. A brown deposit corresponding to woody elements may appear at the bottom of the glass. Sometimes the sides of the glass may also have an opaque resinous coating after oxidation.

Tenth Stage

It is therefore important, once you have finished tasting a whiskey, to cover the glass in order to concentrate the aromas of the non-volatile residues it contains. The aromas of the dry extract, which will emerge for several minutes, or even several hours, after tasting, constitute the ‘base’ notes of a whiskey. The richer and more woody the aromatic profile of a whiskey, the more expressive the aromas will be in the empty glass.

Water

And now, it’s time to do it all again, but this time, add some water! Whether you normally take your whiskey with water is of course down to personal taste, but when tasting whiskey, adding a drop or two of water is simply a way of gleaning more information. Water opens up a whiskey, revealing the intricate workings of a its flavor, helping you identify the constituent parts more easily.

Only very soft, still water should be added to whiskey. Once the water has been added, a transformation will take place on the nose but also on the palate because it will cause a recombination of the fatty substances and aromas. Adding water does not necessarily make the whiskey better or worse, but it does reveal or mask certain aromas. In any event, it will reduce the alcohol content of a whiskey and will also open it up if it appears closed: water always releases aromas.

Share Your Impression

Last, but perhaps most importantly, shared whiskey tasting is the best way of eliciting every last drop of satisfaction from a fine drink. Get your friends round, go to a whiskey bar, or even swap notes on the internet, but whatever you do, take and compare your impressions with friends.

So, now it’s your turn! Record your observations of the whiskeys you drink. Take time to really savor and appreciate the many scents, flavors and textures that come from each sip.

As you record your thoughts, remember that there are no right or wrong observations. Each of us can have different observations, because our senses have different perceptions.

Now, go forth and enjoy your whiskey!