The Wandering Scotsman Learns The Art Of Whisky Tasting
Yesterday evening just as I was about to get stuck into the whisky samples that Glenmorangie have sent me for reviewing, I thought it may be a good idea to put some professionalism into the proceedings…yes indeed.
You see there is seemingly far more to drinking Scotch whisky than just letting it glide down your throat and enjoying it, even though that method has worked pretty good for me so far!
After about an hour of reading various online articles courtesy of the master of the universe google and a few Youtube videos, I was beginning to get a bit of headache, why the hell did whisky tasting seem so complicated. Who really goes through the various steps that a bunch of so called whisky guru’s recommend you must follow to fully enjoy a wee dram of Scottish whisky. If I was ever in the company of most of them I would be knocking the whisky down my throat at an alarming rate due to boredom!
How To Taste Scottish Whisky Guide
1. Start with a tulip shaded glass (never a whisky tumble). This will concentrate the aroma of the spirit.
2. Nose the whiskey
3. Take a small sip and let the whisky coat your mouth and note what flavours you pick up
4. Add water to the spirit to open it up and to release the oils in the dram.
5. Take a big sip and note the overall body of the spirit
6. Move the whisky around in your mouth to pick up additional flavours
7. Swallow and note how long the finish is
8. Take your time and try only a few at a time and drink plenty of water between sips.
I can just imagine those hairy Highlanders 300 years ago, following the steps outlined above as they enjoyed a few drams…I think not! In my humble opinion there is no need to make things overly complicated, stuff that! What works for me is quite simple, I quarter fill the glass with whisky, give it a wee sniff, put a splash of cool bottled Scottish mineral water into the whisky, lift glass to my mouth, take a sip and let it gently slide down my throat and hopefully it will taste delicious.
One other thing I noticed about the various Whisky gurus is that when they are drinking the stuff it seems you have to wear some naff looking jumper, just like the ones I use to get at Christmas that would never see light of day again! Just keeping it real…
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