Preparing for a whiskey tasting shouldn’t make you nervous – but if you’re new to it, we’re here to help you set yourself up for the best tasting experience. In the interest of whiskey lovers everywhere, we’ve compiled a guide outlining essential whiskey-tasting tips to help you learn how to do a whiskey tasting in any setting. By the end of the article, you’ll be ready to taste whiskey like a pro at home or at the distillery.
As America’s Most Awarded Single Malt, Stranahan’s is a go-to expert on this topic, so you can be as confident of the source as you are in our products.
How To Set Up a Whiskey Tasting
Armed with the right tools, accessories, whiskey choices, and a great space to taste, prepare to take your whiskey-tasting enjoyment to the next level!
1. Setting Up Your Tasting Environment
Ideally, you’ll want to taste in a quiet space with minimal distractions. Choose a day and time when you can tune out the outside world and focus on the tasting.
A light-colored table, white paper, or a white tablecloth are recommended as they allow you to assess the color of the spirit against a neutral background.
Minimize adverse smells from cooking, cologne, etc. If you plan to cook or eat a full meal, do so after the tasting.
2. The Right Tools for the Best Whiskey Tasting Experience
- Palate cleansers. Most whiskey tastings involve three or four examples of different styles. Because you’ll want to discern the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences between each spirit, having something to cleanse your palate in between tastes is recommended. Slice up some plain baguette, rice crackers, or coffee beans can be a great way to reset your nose. Seltzer water is also a good palate cleanser.
- Plenty of plain water. Use spring or distilled water, and have plenty on hand to drink and enhance the whiskey.
- Nosing glasses. The fluted tulip shape of nosing glasses is designed to enhance the tasting experience, lifting and concentrating the aromas like no other type of glassware. Be sure to have enough on hand to accommodate one for each whiskey for all your guests.
- Flight trays. A flight tray helps to keep your whiskey flights in order while you’re tasting. Made to hold three nosing glasses, they bring the Stranahan’s distillery experience to your home.
3. The Whiskey: Choose Your Spirits
A tasting implies variation, so we recommend choosing distinct styles to compare. Tasting lineups usually go from lighter to bolder flavors to avoid overwhelming the palate.
An example from the Stranahan’s Whiskey range might look something like this:
- Stranahan’s Original, a benchmark for American Single Malt whiskey.
- Stranahan’s Sherry Cask, to show how different types of barrels impact the flavors and aromas of our premium whiskey.
- Stranahan’s Mountain Angel 10-Year, the first 10-year Straight American Single Malt whiskey, highlighting the unique characteristics of a small-batch bottling.
4. The Method: Tips to Enhance Your Whiskey Tasting
Here are a few additional tips to make your whiskey-tasting experience the best.
- Order and organize your whiskies and tools well in advance. Set up your tasting before guests arrive so you can focus on tasting and evaluating the whiskey.
- Have extra glasses on hand in case additional bottles “magically” appear. It happens!
- Set out your palate cleansers so they’re within reach.
- You’ll need water glasses, napkins, and side plates.
- Provide notepads and pens/pencils to jot down your impressions.
- Taste each spirit on its own first. Assess the nose before tasting. Take small sips to assess the flavors and compare them to the impressions you got on the nose.
- Whiskeys should be at room temperature for best impressions. If it is too cold, you will lose the aromas, and the whiskey will seem tight and closed on the palate. If it is too warm, the alcohol will seem too intense, mask the flavors, and create palate fatigue.
- Holding glasses in your hands briefly will warm the whiskey if it’s too cold.
- Be adventurous. Once you’ve tasted the spirit neat, try it with a few drops of water or with ice (you’ll need rocks glasses for this as ice isn’t suitable for nosing glasses).
Whiskey is a Lifelong Learning Experience
We can guarantee that your first whiskey tasting will not be your last. The love of whiskey is a lifelong journey, like a fine spirit, to be savored and appreciated over time.
Be sure to order a selection of bottles from the Stranahan’s online store and join the American Single Malt Society for exclusive benefits and a great community of whiskey enthusiasts. Happy tasting!
