You don’t have to be an expert to create a whisky tasting experience for you and your friends. Creating a tasting in the comfort of your own home can be a fun way to try new whisky, finding new expressions or styles that you love so much you’ll want to add them to your collection. Here are our top 8 tips on how to create the perfect whisky tasting experience at home.
1) Whisky!
It seems pretty obvious, but you need Whisky, but where do you start? If you’re hosting the event you could pick up a selection of bottles form your local supermarket our favourite online shop (cough cough @lactoorumwhiskeyclub!!!), however with so much choice, how do you start to curate your selection? The 5 whisky regions of Scotland tend to have their own unique flavours. I would recommend starting with a lowland whisky as they tend to be lighter and triple distilled, giving a smoother mouth feel. Then Venture to a Speyside whisky which tend to be sweeter and fruitier with light spices. I would then opt for a Highland Whisky which remain sweet, full bodied and will introduce that peaty vibe. Finally finish on a dram from Islay, which are peatier, or an Island whisky which will incorporate a sea salt into the earthy peat.
2) Glasses
The right glass is essential for unlocking the full flavour profile of your whisky. A tulip-shaped glass, like the Glencairn glass, is ideal because it concentrates the aromas, allowing you to truly appreciate the whisky's scent. If you don’t have a Glencairn then a nosing glass or tumbler will do just fine. Swirl your glass around and then hold it up to the light, you should see a ring of liquid form around the glass. This will start to fall slowly down the glass and is often known as legs, tears or whisky curtains and can tell you a lot about the whisky you are about to nose.
Top Tip: Don’t pop your nose straight into the glass and take a big sniff! Slowly bring the glass to your nose as you breathe in to find that sweet spot.
3) Tasting Notes, Score Card & Tasting Wheel:
Our whisky tasting gift sets come with tasting notes, giving a bit of insight into the expression and distillery behind. I also include a scorecard which can help you keep track of the styles you prefer. Jot down the name of the whisky, the distillery and region it comes from. You could also include the cask type as this will help you narrow down to the flavour profiles you enjoy the most. Take a look at the colour of the whisky as this can give you clues into the age or barrel type used and then jot down the flavours you can smell and taste. A Tasting wheel can help you pull out the flavours, a simple google search (other browsers are available) will return a selection of tasting wheels to choose from. Finally make a note of the finish and mouth feel, for example does the flavour hang around or does it fade quiet quickly, does it feel watery or thicker and oilier?
4) Water & / or Coffee Beans
The water serves two purposes. Adding a drop or two of water will open up your dram. I recommend trying your dram neat for the first two sips, with the first sip coating your mouth, the 2nd helping you pull out the flavours. Then add a drop or two of water and see what difference it makes to the flavours you found. Its worth having a glass of water between drams too, not just to clear your palette but to stay hydrated too. Giving your Coffee beans a good sniff can also reset your pallet, ready to take on your next dram!
5) Know your cask
When selecting your whisky, take time to look at the cask its matured and finished in as this has a big impact on the flavour and colour of your whisky. Most bottles will highlight the casks used on the label.
American Oak is used in Bourbon and gives off Sweet Vanilla and Caramel flavours, European oak imports more spicy flavours, Japanese oak introduces vanilla and floral notes with Sherry casks giving a warmer full body with toffee, raisins and butterscotch.
6) Pairing Snacks
No whisky tasting is complete without snacks so try to think of the flavours we have touched on that are associated with the region or cask of your whisky. Things like cheese, nuts, smoked meats, salted crisps and chocolate are particular favourites of mind. Try different combinations and see what works for you, I tend to steer clear of putting a peaty whisky and strong flavour foods together as they will just overpower each other. Instead try a Lowland whisky with a smoked cheese, salty crips with your Islay and my personal favourite is Charcoal cheese with a nice 46%+ Bourbon!
7) Good Company
There is nothing better than a tasting evening amongst friends and family. We have run many a tasting night where a group of complete strangers have come together and by the end of it its like we have known each other a lifetime, sharing stories and our tasting notes. Its important to realise not everyone will enjoy every dram and there is no right or wrong when it comes to pulling out flavours. We all have our own experiences of the notes we have experienced through life so if you find those yellow foamy banana sweets you had as child, then who can judge you on that!
8) Some Hints & Tips to get the party Started
Now you have all the tools you need to kick off your tasting night, but let’s face it, as much as you have source your whisky, your glasses, your snacks and tasting notes, you’ll want to wow your fellow whisky lovers with a few nuggets of information to show them you mean business. Here are a 3 of my personal favourites to get you going…
There is popular belief that you should leave your dram to rest at room temperature for 1 minute per year of maturate once poured. So, if you pour a 10-year-old single malt, you leave it to stand in your glass for 10 minutes before sipping. This is to let the whisky breath and some of the alcohol evaporate, enhancing the flavours. Why not try it and let us know if you find a difference?
Some brands will add an odour and tasteless caramel colouring E150a to their Whisky. This is believed to be for two main reasons, 1 so that each whisky across the range looks exactly the same to the consumer, the other is to make it look older and more attractive. A whisky that does not contain colouring will usually state that fact on the label and if drinking bourbon, the term Straight will mean no colouring has been added.
Bourbon is matured in New American Oak casks for a minimum of 2 years for a “Straight Bourbon” and 4 years to be classed as “Bottled-in-bond”. In both cases the barrel can only be used for Bourbon that first time, it cannot be re-used in Bourbon production more than once. Instead, they will be sold to Corn, or Tennessee Whisky distilleries as well as around the world as ex-bourbon casks, making them a cost-effective way for none bourbon distilleries to start that maturation process.
So, there you have it. If you want to create a judgement free, casual whiskey tasting experience at home, you should now have all you need to get started and create a tasting experience that will be talked about for years to come. Feel free to share your tasting night top tips in the comments and I’d love to hear about your tasting events too.
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Dean
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