The Art of Scotch:
What is Scotch? – Scotch is any whisky made in Scotland which has been aged for at least three years in oak barrels. Single-malt scotch is scotch that has been distilled from only malted barley at a single distillery. When the “new-make” spirits exits the stills, it is clear and tastes something like vodka. It is the aging in oak barrels that gives whisky its distinctive color and majority of its flavor. Blended scotch is a mixture which contains some quantity of malt whisky (often from several different distilleries) and some quantity of grain whisky, which is whisky distilled from cereal grains other than malted barley.
Step One: Pouring the Perfect Scotch – Pour at least 1 ounce (or one shot-glass full: about 1.5 ounces) of scotch into glass. Swirl it gently, like a glass of wine, to release some volatile vapors and also to see how viscous it is.
Step Two: Smell – Position your nose about one inch above rim of the glass and tilt glass slightly towards yourself. Carefully draw air into your nose – if you start to feel a “prickle” or “burn” in your nostrils, pull glass back a little. Concentrate on the smells and try to pick out individual aromas. Spend at least a minute adjusting position of glass and your nose to draw out all of the aromas. Occasionally give glass a swirl to release more of those volatile compounds.
Step Three: Tasting – For your first taste, just sip a small amount of whisky – only enough to cover surface of your tongue. Now this is important: Hold whisky in your mouth for at least 10 seconds! If you’re not used to straight spirits, this will definitely ‘burn’ on your tongue, and make your eyes water. After several seconds you should notice the burn will be less intense, and you should begin to taste sweetness of whisky. Swirl it around your mouth, making sure to cover entire surface of your tongue. Again, try to pick out individual flavors. Now you can swallow it.
Step Four: Finish – If you held whisky in your mouth for at least 10 seconds, you should notice that it goes down ‘smooth’ – without burning your throat. Even expensive single-malt will ‘burn’ your throat if you sip and swallow immediately. Open your mouth and breathe slowly out. Notice the flavors that remain on your tongue, gums and walls of your mouth. This is called the ‘finish’, and can last anywhere from a few seconds to several hours. Now breathe gently in and notice that some of the volatile aromas can be ‘tasted’ on the finish.
Step Five: Variations – Adding water to your whisky will open up new flavors. Also, try holding a slightly larger sip of whisky in your mouth, tilt your head back a little, and breathe (VERY) gently in through your mouth. This takes a little practice to avoid choking, but can illuminate more of the hard-to-identify flavors by aerating them. Try different glasses to see how the aroma varies. Above all, enjoy!