Clearest examples of different flavors

  • Cesspool_Sinner
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    Being a new collector and connoisseur of whisky, I am having a hard time finding points of reference for different flavors in whisky. Some of them are straightforward, such as honey or citrus. I know what those taste like. But sometimes there are flavors that are referenced such as sherry or medicinal that could have varying degrees of reference that aren't easily found in everyday items. My first thought was to go buy some sherry and taste it, and use that as a point of reference, but my concern was that the flavor imparted into a whisky from wood that contained a liquid could taste differently than the liquid itself. 


    So what I am asking for is this: What are, in your opinions, the most blatant examples of the primary flavors that aren't easily encountered in normal foods or drinks? For example, which whisky is the best example of what a strong sherry casked flavor tastes like? Is Laphroaig 10 the best example of medicinal or peat? And so on and so forth. I understand that this is all subjective, but there has to be some examples out there that I can get my hands on that would give me a baseline of what these often cited flavors taste like in the context of a whisky. 


    Even if there are strong examples of familiar flavors, I would like to know about them. Knowing what an orange tastes like as a snack, and knowing what it tastes like in the context of whisky, are two separate things. I would like to expand my ability to find and appreciate the different flavors in whisky, and I appreciate your help in doing so.

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  • DramTasticVoyage Member DramTasticVoyage Joined: 09.04.2018Posts: 205CollectionDramTasticVoyages CollectionRatings: 4
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    @Cesspool_Sinner Welcome! Buying a bottle of Sherry certainly wouldnt hurt. It wont be exact but you'll pick up the scent/flavor immediately and be able to recognize it in bottles afterward. A few heavily sherried whiskies to try are Glenmorangie Lasanta, Dalmore 12yr, and Glenfarclas 12yr. The list of Sherry finish scotch goes on for days and i'm sure others will chime in with more. These 3 are the first to come to mind.


    As for medicinal peat.... this is definitely not my favorite flavor profile, lol. The word is meant to instill smells of a doctor's office. Ardbeg 10 is your go to medicinal peated scotch for sure. (In my opinion) You'll know this smell right away. First there's your typical campfire smoke, but the "medicinal" part smells like a box of bandaids. If you have a box in your house, go stick your nose in it and take a deep smell. Thats the exact smell. Another smell/flavor I get from Ardbeg is Formaldehyde (the stuff they preserve dead animals/people with). I get this flavor more so when i add water or ice to this particular scotch.


    Your palate will continue to grow as you try more whisky. Time and practice will have you smelling and tasting things you didnt smell or taste a few months back from the same bottle. Also, adding a few drops of water to nearly any whisky is a sure fire way to bring out additional flavors. Just remember to try it neat first, and then add water. Another thing to try is sipping a whisky before and after eating certain foods. If you have a smokey/sweet whisky, try eating something slightly sweet and then sipping the whisky (After you've tried it with a fresh palate of course). The sweet food will cancel out the sweet in the scotch allowing you to taste more of the smokey/savory aspects. The same goes for savory foods to bring out the sweet side of your dram. 


    I hope this helps! Good luck on your malt journey! Cheers! 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • Cesspool_Sinner
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    @DramTasticVoyage I still have some Dalmore 12 actually. I will taste that one tonight and make mental notes of the primary flavor. There is also a wine shop down the road that I can get a bottle of sherry from to do the same. 


    As for the Ardbeg, I'm curious now to try it. I'm not sure that the medicinal peat flavors will be my forte or to my abundant likeness, but I'll certainly try it if nothing else for the ability to add the smells and tastes to my repertoire. Thanks for the feedback, and I look forward to getting better at this. I understand that it will take lots of time and practice to get to a point where I can really taste all of these different whiskies with appreciation, and that prospect of time spent is more exciting than anything.  

  • DramTasticVoyage Member DramTasticVoyage Joined: 09.04.2018Posts: 205CollectionDramTasticVoyages CollectionRatings: 4
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    @Cesspool_Sinner Let me know what you think of the Ardbeg! That one has a very polarized reaction. People either love it or despise it. On occasion i'll add a drop or two of Ardbeg to something else just to give it a little hint of smoke but thats about it. I never drink it on its own. Also, if you havent picked one up already, i'd highly recommend a Glencairn glass! They make a huge difference in picking up smells. You can grab them on Amazon relatively cheap 

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • Cesspool_Sinner
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    @DramTasticVoyage I have a set of four that I picked up a while back and they have done wonders. I'm still working on being able to pinpoint notes, but it's becoming easier as I go along. Ironically enough, I had tasted some American single malt just the other night and forgot that I left the empty glass sitting out. When I went to wash it I decided to smell the glass just out of curiosity, and it was just like smelling a glass full of caramel. I had picked up on brown sugar and tobacco when I first nosed it, but the caramel didn't even cross my mind! It's funny how you can smell an orange and say "oh yea that's an orange", but when you smell it in the context of whisky, it's like the brain says "well this can't possibly be an orange because we know it's whisky, so we're not going to let you make that mental connection between what you think you smell and citrus."

  • DramTasticVoyage Member DramTasticVoyage Joined: 09.04.2018Posts: 205CollectionDramTasticVoyages CollectionRatings: 4
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    @Cesspool_Sinner Part of that empty glass smell phenomenon is the lack of alcohol presence. I learned a trick awhile back that replicates this, although its more effective with certain whisky over others. Splash a little drop of the whisky onto your hand and rub your hands together really fast and then smell it. This quickly evaporates all of the alcohol leaving only the underlying smells. It really works! Give it a shot!


    Obviously you watch Horst since you are here, but do you ever watch Ralfy reviews on youtube? He's an outstanding source of information. He covers everything from tasting and smelling to history of whisky and distilleries. He's great!  

    “I’m a simple man. All I want is enough sleep for two normal men, enough whiskey for three, and enough women for four.” 

    ~Joel Rosenburg

  • Cesspool_Sinner
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    @DramTasticVoyage I'm currently using ralfy's method for taking notes, basically just finding the 3 primary smells or flavors. Sometimes it's just one or two that I can pick up on, but I like his method of simplicity. Horst and Ralfy account for probably 95% of my knowledge via youtube.

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