...

Whisky Tasting Guidelines
Nose the whisky (30 points). Adding a few drops of water can open up the aromas. Swirl the spirit in the class. Exposure to air and temperature will change the aromas. What do you smell? Grainy, fruity, flowery, vegetable, botanical, herby, oak, sweet, wood-smoke, tar, iodine, …?

Sip the whisky allowing the liquid to wash over the full surface of the tongue.  Give it a few seconds to settle in.  Concentrate on the mouth feel (10 points). Is it thin, dry or oily?

Taste / Palate (30 points).This is the initial arrival of the spirit on the palate. Different regions of the tongue detect different tastes: sweet (on the tip) salty and sour (on the sides) and dry/bitter (at the rear). Allow the spirit to flow completely over the tongue and linger a moment. How is the sweetness:  dry, light, medium, intense? How is the alcohol:  soft, smooth, warming, harsh?  The flavor characteristics: Fruity, flowery, vegetable, grainy, botanical, herby, oak, sweet?

Rinse the whisky back into your tasting glass and pour into the dump bucket.  If you will be ingesting your sample, be certain it is a small sip.  You need to dump the majority of your sample or your evening will end very quickly.  A 0.25 oz. sample is poured for the purpose of being able to enjoy the aromas (the nose).  Only a small sip is required to experience the flavor.

Experience the finish (30 points).  After the whisky is gone, you’ll feel different flavors and sensations on your tongue.  This will reveal the balance and complexity of the spirit. Are you left with bitterness, sweetness, tannins? Is one more prominent or are they well balanced?  What is left on the palate?  Is the palate clean and simple?  Is there some complexity?  What can be observed after five or ten seconds? Did the whisky have a long or a short finish?

Have a nice drink of water. This will help keep you hydrated and make the next sample more enjoyable.

Note on ingestion of alcohol: 12 -  0.25 oz. samples is the equivalent of two drinks (3 oz.). Two drinks per hour should be the absolute maximum anyone should ingest. For most people this amount should even be less.   If you swallow your full sample, you can only taste 12 whiskies per hour, thus we highly recommend a small sip and dumping or take a larger mouth full of liquid and spit without swallowing.

Scoring: Some characteristics should have more weight than others and we have been conditioned for a 100 point scale. Our rating system looks at nose(30), mouthfeel(10),  taste(30)  and finish(30). We suggest rating each category from 1 to 10 and then multiplying it by a weight factor.