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Whisky Shop Top Secret Fact File
Whisky Shop Top Secret Fact File
i s ky S
W h
F i l e !
Fact
Become a Scotch Whisky expert
& impress your friends!
Getting Started
The best way to start understanding what you tasting is to
get stuck in. Once you identify what it is you like or dislike
about what is going on in your mouth you’ll be better placed
to intelligently discuss your whisky and choose your next one.
The best glass is tulip shaped. The narrow top keeps the
flavours and aromas of the whisky in the glass, and allows you
time to ‘nose’ and taste the whisky. The classic tumbler is not
very friendly towards the whisky - the wide gaping mouth of
the glass lets all the aromas and flavours escape before you get
a chance to enjoy them.
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The Colour Legs
Your whisky can range in colour from almost clear through Occasionally you will hear someone say “this whisky’s got good
golden straw to dark amber gold with a reddish glow. legs!” Do they mean it is about to run away with them? Well,
possibly. At this point, take your glass and give it a good swirl.
So, is a darker whisky older or better than a very pale one? You will probably see some ‘legs’, little lines of spirit that run
Well - not necessarily. Mainly, the colour is to do with the type down from the swirl line. Generally speaking the length of the
of barrel in which the whisky was stored. For instance a Sherry legs provides an indication of the viscosity of the whisky – how
cask that has already been used two or three times to mature thick or thin it will feel in your mouth.
whisky, (“a refill cask” you say, nodding knowledgably!) will
produce a pale product. A fresh Sherry cask, (“Probably a first One more trick - is to put your hand over the top of the glass
fill” - hedging your bets), produces a much darker golden red. and give it a good shake. A whisky high in alcohol will keep a
bit of a head for a short while. (“Hmm!” You ponder. “This may
Whisky will rapidly absorb the colour from the cask and a clear be cask strength”).
product can turn quite dark in only two to three weeks. This can
happen with a ‘finish’ – more about this later. The colour will of By now your friends are probably dying of thirst – but they will
course continue to darken over time. have to wait a little longer.
Commercially, colour really does seem to matter, which is why Hold the glass a little away from your nose and breathe
some whiskies are tinted with flavourless caramel to make them normally. You may want to repeat this couple of times for effect!
more appealing to the eye.
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Identify any aromas or fragrances, using your own terminology. Finally, consider how long the flavour lingers in your mouth
Consider what you smell and relate it to what it reminds you of. after you swallow. This is the ‘finish’. Is it long or short? Does
If teenage boy’s socks or Rotorua on a bad day comes to mind, the flavour change, become smokier perhaps? Dry or bitter?
that’s fine, you’ll certainly get attention. But you may prefer to
impress with something along the lines of: “malty, with notes Add Water?
of citrus fruit and nuts”. Sometimes the alcohol in whisky can interfere with your
sampling experience. It may cause your nose to prickle or falsely
suggest pepper & spice on your tongue. Adding a tiny amount
Taste & Mouth-feel of room temperature water, just one drop at a time, to a whisky
Take a good sizeable mouthful and allow the whisky to roll with alcohol content of 47% or higher, can help to open up the
back over your tongue, hang on to it for a while before you smell and the flavours of the whisky. Experiment.
swallow. What do you taste? Again relate what you taste to
other experiences, does it bring to mind Christmas pudding and Ice?
vanilla ice cream? Don’t be shy in vocalising, there is no right Each to his own – but Imagine you left expensive bottle
or wrong in this and you may well taste something completely of Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge and chilled it to just above
different from the person next to you. Encourage your friends freezing – you wouldn’t do this because you’d barley be able to
to ‘share’. Is the taste multi-layered? Does it change quite taste it at all. Why do it with your whisky? As the ice melts it will
rapidly in your mouth? From sweet to smoky perhaps? also dilute your whisky in way you can’t control.
Type of whisky:
Single malt whisky: comes from one single distillery and is made
of barley, yeast and water. It may come from several casks.
Blended Whisky:
a blend of one or more single malts and industrially produced
What does the bottle tell us? grain whisky.
Reading The Label Like A Pro
Age statement:
This is very handy not only for choosing a Whisky, but also for The length of time that the youngest whisky in that bottle was
sneakily getting as much information about the spirit before matured in the cask before bottling.
you have to analyse it with your friends.
Year:
Whisky labels vary, but here are some of the most The year of distillation. Subtract this from the bottling date to
common terms: get the exact age.
Distillery/Brand: Region:
If the distillery name is large and prominent, then the whisky Where the whisky is from, i.e. Islay or Highland. The region will
was bottled by the distillery itself. If the distillery name is smaller give a very general idea of the style of the whisky.
and below a larger brand name, (i.e. Chieftain’s) this tells us (See ‘The lowdown on the regions’ below).
that the whisky was distilled by the distillery named, but it was
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Cask type: Finally - the Regions
May specify a size i.e. Hogshead or a type i.e. sherry butt/ The more whiskies you sample the more you will realise that
bourbon cask, may be numbered. they cannot be accurately characterised by region. They vary
hugely, not only within a region, but sometimes in style from
Finish: within the same distilleries. That said the following is a very
i.e. Port finish means that the whisky was taken from its original general and loose guide to the regions.
cask and ‘finished’ in a Port cask to add flavour and colour.
This process may last only for a few weeks or up to about Lowland:
18 months. A finish can be a very good thing or it can disguise Often triple distilled. Smooth & light with little or no peat. Often
a mediocre whisky. have a characteristically dry finish. Ideal aperitif style whisky.
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Now that you have a better idea of what makes
your perfect dram — get sampling.
Enjoy, impress & most importantly – SHARE!
Slainte Mhath!
Katey & Bart