How to prepare for a whisky review or whisky tasting

Whisky
Four to five types of whisky is a good number to discover the difference in taste and smell. Before you begin, it is important to decide which type of test you want to do. If it is a test for beginners, you can choose whiskies from different countries or regions to learn how to distinguish between the different kinds. For those who know a bit more, rather than engaging a test of five varieties of whisky, use five kinds of e.g. blended whisky or single malt whisky or from the same region. When you get even more experienced you can have a theme for the whisky review, like bottling from one distillery but by different independent distillers or from “silent” distilleries. There are many variations. Pour app. 2 – 2.5 centilitres (~0.7 – 0.8oz US) in each glass.


Glasses
What we call a daily glass of whisky, or "tumblers" are not suitable for whisky tasting, because much of the aroma disappears through the wide opening. Real whisky tasting glasses are sometimes called "tasting glasses" or "sniffers" and are tulip shaped glass that is slightly dished bottom with a narrow opening at the top, as you can see on the images to left and the right. With such a glass, you can spin around whisky properly so that the aroma is released and concentrated in the tapered opening. If you don’t have such glasses, you can use regular brandy cups or small wine glasses.




Food
It is best to avoid snacks and wait to eat until after a whisky review. The reason is that one is more aware of smells and tastes when you're a bit hungry and the food does not interfere with the whisky taste. On the other hand you can have a bit of white bread on the table. The bread is to neutralise the taste in your mouth after each whisky.

Water
Water should be included in a tasting. One reason to add water is to reduce the alcohol strength. The other is to release more flavours from the whisky. Usually it’s sufficient to add a few drops of water, depending on the alcohol strength. Only use tap water or still water. Never use ice as ice kills both taste and smell. Both the whisky and water should be at room temperature.

Accessories
Use a tasting mat and have a pen ready so you can write your notes on the mat. Keep the notes of the whisky review as a reference to use later on. Try not to spill too much whisky on the mat! I have created some simple tasting mats in both PDF and Word format, so you can change them. You can download them from the link to the right.

I will continue later with new posts with information on how to perform a tasting.