Your tricks for a good nosing all the year

DaFin · February 5 2017 at 10:12AM

With two little kids, viruses and colds are quite often at home and I lost many weeks of tasting whisky.

What do you use when you are congested?

Sea water? physiological saline? Eucaliptus vapours? Any chemical product?

I use a pharmacy product. I don't know if its healty (probably not) but its very easy to apply and cleans my nose holes for up to 2 hours. Enough for my weekend tasting moments.

hwchoy · February 5 2017 at 10:21AM

@DaFin

I get a couple of deep whiffs of whisky and it usually clears the problem!

[Deleted User] · February 5 2017 at 2:13PM

@DaFin

I can sympathize as I struggle with sinus infections. Flonase (generic name is fluticasone propionate) helps me.

kroman · February 5 2017 at 5:51PM

My sinuses and overall sense of smell is horrible, so I definitely feel your pain. Not only does this impact me nosing whiskies, but identifying the smells therein. If I'm feeling particularly stuffy, though, I'll have a zicam about an hour before my whisky.

Right before I inhale and nose my whisky, sometimes I'll blow out through my nose, kind of like how a dog sniffs. The air leaving my nose will help evaporate the alcohol and further drive out the aromas.

If all else fails, I'll just have a peat monster!!! I don't care how congested you are, there is NO WAY you can't enjoy nosing an Ardbeg Uigeadail!

horst_s_2 · February 6 2017 at 11:15AM

When I have a cold, which I just had severely, I stop tasting whisky at all. I stop drinking alc beverages as well and save that amount of intake for later in the year. Ethanol does not help in curing your infection. It disturbs the healing process severely.

I avoid nasal sprays, because the can (not must) paralyze your nose for upcoming months. And that would be horrible. I use instead a non prescriptive herbal pill which helps my nose to clear. But you need an awful lot of handkerchiefs.

bedlamborn · February 6 2017 at 3:44PM

@DaFin
When I have a cold I don't drink whisky at all. But I drink hot teat with honey to ease my troat so I can sleep better and get healthy quicker.

[Deleted User] · February 12 2017 at 7:45AM

@DaFin
I don't drink when I'm sick, but unfortunately I have constant allergies that affect my sense of smell. I'm currently considering using one or more prescription medications to alleviate them.

DaFin · February 12 2017 at 8:34PM

Thanks for all your suggestions.