Hosting a tasting..... Need advice

[singlemalts]

I'll be hosting a whisky tasting and just about everyone is fairly new to whisky. *I would like to put together a nosing kit that they can reference during the tasting. * What would you suggest?

Whisky in order of tasting (order subject to change)

Welcome cocktail Grant's family blend with ginger-ale*

Lowland: Auchentoshan 12 Year old
Highland (Island): Scapa 16 Year old
Campbeltown: Springbank 10 year old
Speyside: Balvenie doublewood 12yr*
Speyside: craggamore 12
Highland:*Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban*
Islay: Ardbeg 10

[blenderm]

I would suggest that, if everyone's new to whisky, that you limit the number you taste to no more than 5. It's been proved by scientists that, unless you're used to it, you lose your sense of taste after 3 or 4 whiskies especially as they're getting alcohol when they arrive [personally I'd do without the welcome drink] .
I'd go with your list with the exception of the Adbeg and leave the islays [and islands] for another session on another evening.

[Dale]

As far as a nosing kit, and since you say everyone is new to whisky, recognize that it's likely every one in the group has never considered training their nose. This is perfect setting to start to do so, thus your idea of having one is GREAT! My thought is that untrained noses will not yet identify as many things as say a master blender's will, so concentrate on the easiest things.

Smoky (cigarette/cigar ash, iodine, guaze) to cover peaty and medicinal characters, Fruity (apples, pears, bananas), Floral (hyacinth, roses, geranium, heather), Vanilla (toffee, vanilla bean), Spicy (black & white pepper and other spices), Cereal (hay, straw, grass, oatmeal, barley, malt), Earthy (cork, mushroom), Astringent (coffee beans, Angostura bitters)

These are also kind of base descriptors anyone will be capable of. If you want to try some more difficult things for novices to try and identify, thy some of the following:

Soapy (carbonic soap, unscented candles or wax), Sulphur (rubber, match sticks), Caramel (toffee burnt sugar and butter), Nutty (toasted coconut and almonds), Wood (un-petrol treated charcoal, sawdust of oak, apple, and cherry woods, and pine to understand resin), Sour (black coffee, white vinegar, sharp blue or cheddar cheese), Sweet (honey, Pedro Ximenez sherry).

To make a kit using these things, I find a great vessel is a zip-loc plastic bag. For any of the liquid items (like liquid vanilla or black coffee) simply pour a little of it on a swath of paper towel and put swath in a plastic bag. Lable each bag with what is in it. Don't fret if you cannot get everything here, but see if you can affect getting at least one thing from each of the catagories highlighted above.

During your tasting, the bags are easily passed around to everyone. Of course, you could make a set for everyone, which would allow them to take a kit home after the nosing and tasting.

Four to six whiskies is ideal for beginners. Have paper and pencils for everyone to write on. If you want a more specific guide, down load a tasting sheet from somewhere. Balvenie has a decent one on their website, additional their recently released video series on their website would be entertaining to watch and fit right in to your evening.

Finally, if you don't have enough glasses for everybody to have every whisky in front of them, see if you can have at least two glasses for each taster. I like to have one with the whisky neat and one in which you can add water to bring the whisky down to about 30% ABV. It's amazing how much your nose will learn and be educated by nosing something neat next to the same thing with a little water added. For me, the water of choice is distilled water. Most spring water has to much going on in it and starts to affect the whisky. Novice tasters, thus, notice the water more than the whisky because they are more familiar with the water than the whisky and they identify in the whisky-water blend what they're familiar with - namely the salts, chlorine or other compounds.

Tell your friends, DO NOT where cologne or aftershave, and try and limit the affects of anyone in the group who might be a smoker (unless everyone smokes).

Have fun and post your notes for us, and definitely have a little of everything for me!

[Dale]

As far as a nosing kit, and since you say everyone is new to whisky, recognize that it's likely every one in the group has never considered training their nose. This is perfect setting to start to do so, thus your idea of having one is GREAT! My thought is that untrained noses will not yet identify as many things as say a master blender's will, so concentrate on the easiest things.

Smoky (cigarette/cigar ash, iodine, guaze) to cover peaty and medicinal characters, Fruity (apples, pears, bananas), Floral (hyacinth, roses, geranium, heather), Vanilla (toffee, vanilla bean), Spicy (black & white pepper and other spices), Cereal (hay, straw, grass, oatmeal, barley, malt), Earthy (cork, mushroom), Astringent (coffee beans, Angostura bitters)

These are also kind of base descriptors anyone will be capable of. If you want to try some more difficult things for novices to try and identify, thy some of the following:

Soapy (carbonic soap, unscented candles or wax), Sulphur (rubber, match sticks), Caramel (toffee burnt sugar and butter), Nutty (toasted coconut and almonds), Wood (un-petrol treated charcoal, sawdust of oak, apple, and cherry woods, and pine to understand resin), Sour (black coffee, white vinegar, sharp blue or cheddar cheese), Sweet (honey, Pedro Ximenez sherry).

To make a kit using these things, I find a great vessel is a zip-loc plastic bag. For any of the liquid items (like liquid vanilla or black coffee) simply pour a little of it on a swath of paper towel and put swath in a plastic bag. Lable each bag with what is in it. Don't fret if you cannot get everything here, but see if you can affect getting at least one thing from each of the catagories highlighted above.

During your tasting, the bags are easily passed around to everyone. Of course, you could make a set for everyone, which would allow them to take a kit home after the nosing and tasting.

Four to six whiskies is ideal for beginners. Have paper and pencils for everyone to write on. If you want a more specific guide, down load a tasting sheet from somewhere. Balvenie has a decent one on their website, additional their recently released video series on their website would be entertaining to watch and fit right in to your evening.

Finally, if you don't have enough glasses for everybody to have every whisky in front of them, see if you can have at least two glasses for each taster. I like to have one with the whisky neat and one in which you can add water to bring the whisky down to about 30% ABV. It's amazing how much your nose will learn and be educated by nosing something neat next to the same thing with a little water added. For me, the water of choice is distilled water. Most spring water has to much going on in it and starts to affect the whisky. Novice tasters, thus, notice the water more than the whisky because they are more familiar with the water than the whisky and they identify in the whisky-water blend what they're familiar with - namely the salts, chlorine or other compounds.

Tell your friends, DO NOT where cologne or aftershave, and try and limit the affects of anyone in the group who might be a smoker (unless everyone smokes).

Have fun and post your notes for us, and definitely have a little of everything for me!

[CMR]

I'd do Laphroaig 10yr instead of Ardbeg...but thats just me.