TulsaPeople / February 2010 / A taste of Scotch whiskey

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A taste of Scotch whiskey

How to taste the spirited drink.

1. Taste in a room free from odors and with good light, using a proper, clean glass. Have a glass of still water on hand.
2. Pour the scotch into the glass and hold up to the light. If it is murky, there is a problem. The color of scotch is tricky, as some producers use spirit caramel for coloring. A lighter-color scotch will probably have a lighter flavor. A darker color may indicate either the addition of spirit caramel or perhaps some oak aging in a sherry barrel.
3. Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and rotate it one complete turn. Then, return the glass to vertical and look at the beads or legs of whisky coming down the side of the glass. The slower the legs fall down the glass, the higher the quality of spirit and/or higher alcohol content (if the beads are very small and slowly falling).
4. Add an equal amount of water to the glass as there is whisky. This reduces the burning sensation of alcohol on your palate and allows you to taste the spirit more easily, detecting more flavors. Don’t swirl the glass at this point. Keep it still. The aromas will travel up the glass at different times, letting your nose detect more of the complexity and intricacies of the whisky.
5. Smell the whisky three times before gently swirling to try to find aromas hiding in the spirit. Then taste the whisky by chewing on it for four to five seconds. This fills your whole palate and lets you experience all the flavors the whisky is trying to deliver.
6. Pay close attention to the aftertaste, or the “finish,” of the spirit. This is what you taste in your mouth after you have swallowed the whisky. Look for complexity or layers of different flavors that continue to linger in your mouth. As in wine, the longer the finish, the higher the quality of spirit. You want a long, clean finish.
7. If you are tasting several whiskies side by side, feel free to spit out the whisky after rolling it around in your mouth and chewing it for four to five seconds. Then you won’t be so snockered after tasting several whiskies in a row.

Editor’s note: Tips adapted in part from Gerry Tosh, Global Brand Ambassador.