The Art of Whisky
'Give the glass a little cwtch...'
A master distiller's ability to judge the quality of a whisky by sense of smell alone has always been a distinctive part of whisky culture. Just as a trained ear can pick out individual instruments in an orchestra, the trained nose can detect the individual elements of flavour in a complex whisky.
Nosing isn't reserved for experts, and most people pick up the basics quickly. You don't need to name every note straight away either, so start by enjoying the fragrances together, then let individual notes like almond, bergamot and cinnamon reveal themselves.
Most professional tasters nose the whisky 'straight' for the 'nose feel' effect, then add about half as much pure natural water at room temperature. This releases the volatile aromas and greatly aids identification of individual notes.
Five Stages
01
Note the colour and brightness. Cup the glass in your hands and give it a little 'cwtch' as we say in Wales. ('Cwtch' means a hug in Welsh.)
02
What is the effect on your nose: pungent, prickly, warming, drying? How 'forward' or 'shy' is it? Don't inhale too deeply, as the alcohol vapours may cause 'palate fade'.
Work through these aroma groups:
Cereal notes
malt, toast, vegetable
Ester notes
fragrant, fruity, flowery
Aldehyde notes
hay, leaves, flowers
Sweet notes
honey, vanilla
Wood notes
new wood, resin, old wood
Oily notes
nutty, buttery, fatty
03
What are the initial flavours as the liquid slides over your taste buds? Are they sweet, sour, salty, bitter?
04
As you swallow, is the back-palate flavour consistent with what the bouquet and first taste promised? Or is it beginning to show different characteristics?
05
Is it a short finish, a rapid fade, or does the flavour linger like a summer sunset over the Brecon Beacons? Welsh malts will linger on your taste buds.
The Science
We can only detect four basic flavours by taste: bitter, sour, sweet and salt. The human nose, by comparison, has over 1,000 different smell identifiers.
Without smell, taste loses its depth and substance. For malt whiskies, a subtle and well-balanced bouquet means a smoother, more satisfying taste.
Put your skills into practice at one of our three distilleries.
