h o p ’s

i s ky S
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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.

First - get the right glass

Drinking from a real whisky nosing glass will always impress.

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.

If you join the Whisky Shop’s Uisge Beatha Society, you

will get a nosing glass as part of your welcome pack.

Pour your whisky – DO NOT ADD WATER at this point.

Sound like a Whisky Connoisseur!
Before you do anything else, hold the glass up to the light and
After reading the Whisky Shop’s Top Secret Fact File, study the content.
not only will you sound like an expert– you will totally
know what you’re talking about!

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The Colour
Your whisky can range in colour from almost clear through
golden straw to dark amber gold with a reddish glow.
So, is a darker whisky older or better than a very pale one?
Well - not necessarily. Mainly, the colour is to do with the type
of barrel in which the whisky was stored. For instance a Sherry
cask that has already been used two or three times to mature
whisky, (“a refill cask” you say, nodding knowledgably!) will
produce a pale product. A fresh Sherry cask, (“Probably a first
fill” - hedging your bets), produces a much darker golden red.
Whisky will rapidly absorb the colour from the cask and a clear
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
course continue to darken over time.
So does the colour of whisky matter? Well, as far as quality
goes, not really. In reality when it comes to drinking whisky, the
colour can add to your experience. Understanding the colour
gives you a sense of anticipation of what you can expect from
the nose and taste.
Commercially, colour really does seem to matter, which is why
some whiskies are tinted with flavourless caramel to make them
more appealing to the eye.
(See ‘Reading the label like a pro’ on page 8).
Legs
Occasionally you will hear someone say “this whisky’s got good
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.
You will probably see some ‘legs’, little lines of spirit that run
down from the swirl line. Generally speaking the length of the
legs provides an indication of the viscosity of the whisky – how
thick or thin it will feel in your mouth.
One more trick - is to put your hand over the top of the glass
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
be cask strength”).
By now your friends are probably dying of thirst – but they will
have to wait a little longer.
Nosing Whisky
You will get a lot more from your whisky if you take the time to
smell it before you swallow. Just as the colour of whisky gives
you a hint of what to expect from the taste, so does the nose.
Hold the glass a little away from your nose and breathe
normally. You may want to repeat this couple of times for effect!
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Identify any aromas or fragrances, using your own terminology.
Consider what you smell and relate it to what it reminds you of.
If teenage boy’s socks or Rotorua on a bad day comes to mind,
that’s fine, you’ll certainly get attention. But you may prefer to
impress with something along the lines of: “malty, with notes
of citrus fruit and nuts”.
Taste & Mouth-feel
Take a good sizeable mouthful and allow the whisky to roll
back over your tongue, hang on to it for a while before you
swallow. What do you taste? Again relate what you taste to
other experiences, does it bring to mind Christmas pudding and
vanilla ice cream? Don’t be shy in vocalising, there is no right
or wrong in this and you may well taste something completely
different from the person next to you. Encourage your friends
to ‘share’. Is the taste multi-layered? Does it change quite
rapidly in your mouth? From sweet to smoky perhaps?
If you want to start analysing the meaning of the flavours you
taste, you can use a flavour & aroma wheel. It will help you
pin-point the whisky in terms of complexity - plus props always
look good!
Next, how does the whisky feel in your mouth? Is it thin? Or
dry? Or oily? This is referred to as mouth-feel. Mouth-feel
like the flavours and aromas can help you identify the whisky
you are drinking. Do you like what you are experiencing from
the whisky so far? All this information helps you to assess the
‘palate’ of the whisky.
Finally, consider how long the flavour lingers in your mouth
after you swallow. This is the ‘finish’. Is it long or short? Does
the flavour change, become smokier perhaps? Dry or bitter?
Add Water?
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
of room temperature water, just one drop at a time, to a whisky
with alcohol content of 47% or higher, can help to open up the
smell and the flavours of the whisky. Experiment.
Ice?
Each to his own – but Imagine you left expensive bottle
of Sauvignon Blanc in the fridge and chilled it to just above
freezing – you wouldn’t do this because you’d barley be able to
taste it at all. Why do it with your whisky? As the ice melts it will
also dilute your whisky in way you can’t control.
Keep a Journal
Make notes on each whisky you taste. Jot down the distillery,
the age, alcohol percentage, your thoughts on nose, taste etc.
Most importantly did you like it? What was your impression?
You’ll soon find a little pattern emerging which will help you to
identify where your preferences lie.
You can buy a Whisky Journal Notepad from
The Whisky Shop.
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What does the bottle tell us?
Reading The Label Like A Pro
This is very handy not only for choosing a Whisky, but also for
sneakily getting as much information about the spirit before
you have to analyse it with your friends.
Whisky labels vary, but here are some of the most
common terms:
Distillery/Brand:
If the distillery name is large and prominent, then the whisky
was bottled by the distillery itself. If the distillery name is smaller
and below a larger brand name, (i.e. Chieftain’s) this tells us
that the whisky was distilled by the distillery named, but it was
bottled by someone else - An independent bottler. Independent
bottlings will hold true to the style of the distillery and are
produced in smaller quantities. Often with an exceptionally
good result.
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 Malt whisky/vatting:
two or more single malts from different distilleries, blended
together.
Blended Whisky:
a blend of one or more single malts and industrially produced
grain whisky.
Age statement:
The length of time that the youngest whisky in that bottle was
matured in the cask before bottling.
Year:
The year of distillation. Subtract this from the bottling date to
get the exact age.
Region:
Where the whisky is from, i.e. Islay or Highland. The region will
give a very general idea of the style of the whisky.
(See ‘The lowdown on the regions’ below).
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Cask type:
May specify a size i.e. Hogshead or a type i.e. sherry butt/
bourbon cask, may be numbered.
Finish:
i.e. Port finish means that the whisky was taken from its original
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
18 months. A finish can be a very good thing or it can disguise
a mediocre whisky.
Alcohol percentage:
The percentage of alcohol by volume of the whisky in that
particular bottle.
Cask Strength:
The whisky was bottled at the exact alcohol percentage
– strength, it was when it left the cask.
Non/un-chill filtered:
Chill filtration removes the amino acids that cause the whisky to
cloud when cold. It also removes some of the flavour.
Contains caramel:
Caramel has been added to deepen the colour.
Finally - the Regions
The more whiskies you sample the more you will realise that
they cannot be accurately characterised by region. They vary
hugely, not only within a region, but sometimes in style from
within the same distilleries. That said the following is a very
general and loose guide to the regions.
Lowland:
Often triple distilled. Smooth & light with little or no peat. Often
have a characteristically dry finish. Ideal aperitif style whisky.
Highland:
Medium bodied, sweet, smooth and floral. Hints of butterscotch.
Often sherried and malty.
Speyside:
Sweet, spicy, hints of white pepper on the back palate, little or
no peat, floral aroma, pear-drops. Takes sherry well.
Campbeltown:
Full-flavoured, full-bodied, tang of salt, whiff of smoke & peat.
Island:
Seaweed & salt, iodine, varying degrees of peat and smoke.
Often sweet start, smoky finish.
Islay:
Sweet start, dry finish. Heather & moss, salt and smoke, aromas
of tar, leather and wood-fires. Bunnahabhain is the exception
with no noticeable peatiness.
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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

The Whisky Shop actively promotes responsible drinking!