Choosing the perfect malt whisky is a matter of personal taste. You need to practice taste testing and learn about the different whiskies so that you can figure out what it is that makes a scotch perfect for you. To do this you must learn about how to use your sense of smell and taste, along with learning about how to rate whisky.
Sense of Smell
You may not know this, but your sense of smell works together with your sense of taste to provide you with a fuller sensorial appreciation of what you are eating or drinking. With whisky the nose is very important. You should learn the three step process to using your nose when testing any variety.
The first step is taking a deep sniff from just above the glass. The second sniff is even closer. The final step is a long sniff around the glass, often called waltzing. You are looking for the different aromas. Try to figure out what you smell and identify the different aspects of the aroma. You may notice woody, fruity, yeast. Just identify it as best as you can and record it so you can use it when rating the
whisky.
Sense of Taste
Now you can move onto actually tasting the whisky. You should not just take a shot. Instead you are really feeling out the taste of the whisky. Make sure that feel the whisky in your mouth. Roll it around so that you can get the total feel of it. Keep in mind that your tongue is made up of different sections that all register their own
individual elements of a taste. When you just gulp down whisky you will not get to experience the complexity of how it tastes.
You will probably pick up a wide range of different flavours in each whisky. Write down everything you taste, even if it is just a hint. Make a note if it is a strong flavour or just a slight flavour. You will use these notes when you begin to rate which variety is ideal for you.
Rating the Whisky
Once you have investigated the aroma and the taste of the whisky you can record your feelings about it. You should consider using a scale, like 1 100, with 1 being least liked. Consider everything about the how it smells, tastes and also any textural subtleties. If you’re serious about testing, be sure to note down everything; there are so many different nuances that make whisky truly unique, what part of Scotland it has been made in, where it was barreled and of course the age can all play a significant part in individual taste.
You want an all around review of the whisky so you can compare it to other scotch varieties. As you rate each whisky make sure that you include the notes you took about the smell and taste. You want to make your ratings as complete as possible so you can use them to find your perfect malt whisky.
Once you have tested a decent range of varieties you can begin to develop an idea of your perfect Scottish whisky. You should have a good idea about the types of aromas and flavours that you like. Try to develop a basic outline of your likes and dislikes. Use this to help you seek out that new whiskies and help to find that elusive perfect variety.
Author Resource:
Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For a large range of wines, spirits, liqueurs and whisky from around the world he recommends Alexander Hadleigh Wine Merchants & Importers: http://www.ahadleigh-wine.com/products/9/
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