It can be difficult, especially if you’re just beginning your whiskey journey, to smell or nose, and recognize individual notes. However, by simply allowing yourself to relax, breathe in and inhale the aromas, I can assure you that if you like the taste of your dram, you can learn to love the scent even more! You will be astounded by the difference between the sensory load your nose can comprehend compared to that which your palate can recognize.
90% Of Tasting Is Smelling
When it comes to whiskey, far too many of us fail to take our noses into consideration. However, you will never truly be able to identify a whiskey, or truly enjoy it for that matter, without utilizing your sense of smell. There are four different taste sensations that humans are capable of recognizing. These are bitter, sour, salty, and sweet.
Conversely, there are thirty-two main aromas, so imagine all of the note combinations if you use both! A quote that sums this up well goes “The taste buds are of secondary importance when it comes to the sensory evaluation of any whiskey”- Charles MacLean.
Recommended Glassware
If you have access, equip yourself with the appropriate style whiskey nosing glasses. Tulip-shaped glasses like Glencairn Glasses, are ideal for nosing, as they allow a flow of aroma to emerge from the top of the glass due to its inherent curvature. You may also wish to keep some filtered, room temperature water on hand as well. Adding water to whiskey can change its flavor and aroma, and can sometimes help balance out the flavors.
Let It Breathe
After pouring a bit in your glass, don’t begin smelling it immediately, wait a couple of minutes and allow the whiskey to open. By letting it breathe, the profile can change dramatically. Some people like to swirl it around gently in their glass as they wait, indicating that this expedites the transformation.
Smell That Smell
Gently, take a whiff of the aroma. Don’t take a huge sniff, just let the smell work its way up your nose and see what you can detect. Breathe in slowly while keeping your mouth slightly open and your nose about an inch from the glass’s rim. Repeat this a few times and take note of the scents and trust your initial impression, don’t overthink it. You might get softer notes like fruity, sweet caramel, and vanilla or or deeper flavors like smoky oak, tobacco and leather. It’s amazing the array of wonderful flavors that are pulled out of the wood of these charred barrels!
Honing In On Additional Notes
Next, take a deep breath in through your nose while keeping it in the glass. Hold on to that initial aroma you detected and try to make out additional notes, like maybe hints of banana or cinnamon. It’s often helpful to consider whether it brings back any familiar scents from childhood memories that you are familiar with, like mom’s caramel cake or cherry pie! There’s no right or wrong, it’s subjective to what “you” detect!
If You Smell It, It’s There
Actually, what you are smelling is just distilled grains aged in wood and the beautiful amber color and array of flavors and notes comes from the wonderful goodness that the barrel aging process pulls from the charred barrels. With the possible exception of smoke and oak, every note we detect is a ghost note. Citrus, caramel, cherry, vanilla, leather, toffee, or anything else isn’t actually added or created, it’s just that these are the scents that the brain recognizes and can associate them with.
A Little High-Quality H20
Now add a few drops of water, but be careful not to water drown your damn dram! Carefully add a few drops at a time, this will allow the whiskey to open up even more, unleashing notes that have previously been faint or weak. Now follow the previously mentioned nosing suggestions above once again and see what additional notes you can detect!
Dare To Compare
We suggest doing this fun exercise using more than one B&B Distilling whiskey. Whiskeys with varying strengths, ages, casks, finishes, mash bills and regions even, are ideal as you will have something to compare and differentiate between. Always begin with the lightest whiskey and work your way up to the heavier varieties or higher proofs. Cheers Friends and Happy Nosing!