| | The Scotch Malt Whisky SocietyTasting Guide |
| "Moderation sir, aye, moderation is my rule. Nine or ten is reasonable refreshment, but after that it's apt to degenerate into drinking." An old Highland saying |
For the purpose of enjoying malt whiskies you needcertain basic equipment: a supply of water, a glass, a mouth, anose, and—optionally—a pair of eyes. Plus, of course,the whisky.
The water ought to be soft and, as far as possible, tasteless.Tap water is fine if you are lucky enough to live in a societywhich regards the provision of good water as one of the elementsof civilisation. Otherwise, use still water from a bottle.
The glass should be tulip-shaped, with a narrow opening. TheSociety nosing glass is best, then the sherry copita, brandysnifter and wine glass in descending order of desirability. Theopen-mouthed cut glass article that is traditionally called awhisky tumbler is not suitable at all. The mouth is for pouringthe whisky into for the purpose of tasting. The tongue andpalate, both of which are located within the mouth, detect theprimary tastes: sweet, sour or acidic, salty, bitter or dry. Thesize and shape of the mouth are irrelevant, but prior to tastingthey should not be encumbered by other flavours such as lozenges,tobacco, etc.
The nose is far and away the mostimportant bit of kit when you are evaluating malt whiskies. Ourmost sensitive organ—there are a mere 4 primary tastes and 3primary colours, but there are 23 primary aromas—it can pickup scents diluted to one part in a million.
The eyes are not essential, though they are useful to be ableto see the colour of the whisky. Having said that, we wouldadvise tasters that, because the eye is such a dominant sense inhumans, it often misleads. Since dark whiskies appeal more to theeye, professional tasters often use cobalt blue glasses and redlighting to disguise the colour of the whisky.
The procedure for inspecting malt whiskies is simple. Look atthe stuff in the glass, sniff it, add some water, sniff it againand taste it. The water is essential in tasting full-strengthmalts. Not only does it soften the influence of the alcohol, itdraws out the nose of the whisky to an astonishing extent. Whentasting Society whiskies, try to divest yourself of expectationand concentrate on the present experience. Casks are infinitelydiverse, and often very different from what you would expect froma particular distillery.
The colour of a malt is sometimes an indication of itscharacter—but not always, so beware. A pale whisky can berich and powerful, just as a dark one can be light and fragrant.A bourbon or fino cask will usually give a paler colour, whereaswhiskies aged in oloroso casks tend to be the darkest.
Nosing is a true delight, and reveals much about awhisky’s true character. Every whisky has a distinctbouquet, but a few characteristics are easily identifiable: Islaywhiskies will smell smoky, and sherry casks usually give a sweetor caramel smell. The bouquet can change remarkably as water isadded. There are seven main scent groups: esters, phenols,aldehydes, sweet associated, cereals, oils and woods.
| Esters | - | fruit, flowers, peardrops |
| Phenols | - | medicinal, peaty, smoky |
| Aldehydes | - | hay, grass, leather |
| Sweet associated | - | vanilla, toffee, honey |
| Cereals | - | malt, bread, wheat |
| Oils | - | butter, hazels, walnuts |
| Woods | - | cedar, pitch-pine, resin |
There are many combinations of the above, which is what makesmalt whisky so fascinating. On the other hand, there are manyfine whiskies where the scents are so well integrated that theyare almost impossible to unravel.
Some malts are fruity, others spicy or dry or sweet. Thisvaries not only from one distillery to the next but indeed fromone cask to the next. Much depends on the variations indistilling practice, the shape and size of the still, thealertness of the stillman and, of course, cask. Bourbon casks areusually mild and sweet with distinct vanilla notes, whereassherry casks impart heavier wine notes to the malt.
If you have comments about thissite, please contact the
