GET MORE FROM
YOUR SINGLE MALT
The way you enjoy your dram is personal, but there are a few time-honoured techniques that will allow you to unlock the hidden notes in your dram. I’ve created this step-by-step guide to nosing and tasting, concentrating on the things I look for when I’m enjoying a single malt. I hope it helps you get even more from your next dram.
Warmest regards,
Brian Kinsman, Malt Master, Glenfiddich
GETTING STARTED
POUR YOURSELF A DRAM
You don’t need special accessories to enjoy a nosing and tasting. I find an ordinary wine glass works well, but a special tulip shaped nosing and tasting glass will guide aromas to your nose and its wide bowl will allow you to warm the liquid with your hands and awaken the whisky by swirling it inside the glass.
A splash of water can reveal hidden depths in your dram’s character. Pour yourself a small jug before you start and add water a drop or two at a time. Water should usually be room temperature or lightly chilled. Bottled water with a low mineral content will give you the best impression of the whisky’s natural character.
COLOUR
It's a myth that the darker the whisky, the better the quality. In fact, the colour is derived from the kind of cask that's used. The colour of your single malt gives you an idea of how it matured, but only you can decide how good it tastes.
TYPES OF CASK
WHAT DOES THE COLOUR OF YOUR DRAM SAY ABOUT THE CASK?
VIRGIN CASK
Imparts more colour than a cask that’s been used before
BOURBON CASK
Lends the whisky a golden-yellow, honey-like quality
SHERRY CASK
Gives whisky a dark, amber tone
PORT CASK
Provides an amber, almost reddish hue
NOSING & TASTING
Discover the notes in your dram one sip at a time by nosing, tasting, considering and repeating.
FIRST NOSE
Warm your single malt by cupping the glass with your hands. This will release the aromas. After a minute, raise the glass to your nose. With your mouth slightly open, inhale slowly. What does the first nose make you think of? Freshly cut grass? A leather-bound book?
SUBTLE HINTS
Take your second sip. While your first sip may have been dominated by a single experience, your next sip will reveal more of your single malt’s character. This is the time to investigate subtle hints behind the dominant flavours. How has the taste developed?
FIRST SIP
Take just a small sip then take time to think. Is the single malt sweet, mellow, fruity, oaky? Does the taste complement the aroma of your dram? As you go further into your tasting, these notes may develop, evolve, or even change entirely.
YOUR INSIGHT
Your palate, taste and memories will combine with the liquid on your tongue to give you a genuinely unique insight into your dram. What subtleties can you taste in the flavour? Is the woodiness custardy? Does the floral scent remind you of heather? Only you can decide.
Where Next?
