Where it all began
Hello! I’m Calum, one of the co-founders here at Alumni whisky and today I’m planning to write a few words on how to taste Scotch whisky. Sounds simple and it is, therefore this is by no means intended to be a ‘masterclass’ or even a ‘Scotch 101’ session. Rather, a few thoughts that may or may not help you pick out some headline notes in our Linkwood 13-year-old, or any other whisk(e)y you decide to pour into your glass!
So, let’s get started with some of my credentials, just to make sure you’re comfortable taking ‘drinking advice’ from this Scot. My whisky journey began almost 10 years ago back in Summer 2016. I’d just finished working in the tech industry and decided to join my family on the Isle of Mull for a well-earned vacation. One day, my Dad suggested a visit to Tobermory distillery. He’s always been a big Scotch fan and, at the time, I was looking to start drinking more Scotch. Sounds like a strange ambition, but I’d grown up in Scotland and been around our national drink my whole life. Whisky, as we all know, is an acquired taste and back in 2016 I hadn’t found the perfect whisky for me…yet. Fast forward an hour or so and we were at the gates of Tobermory distillery, tour booked and thirsty (well, at least my Dad was). We were whisked around the distillery and finished up in the tasting room where they poured us a dram of 10-year-old Tobermory single malt and a dram of 10-year-old Ledaig single malt. The first dram was a little underwhelming for me and I remember thinking: ‘tastes like whisky’. So, I didn’t have much hope for the second dram. But then it hit me. Earth, spice, salinity, candied orange and smoked apple. For those not ‘in the know’, Ledaig is a peated Scotch whisky (not all Scotch is peated, but we’ll get into that later) and has a very unique flavour profile. It’s not an exaggeration to say that very moment changed my life.
From One Dram to an Obsession
From there, I started picking up bottles from the Isle of Islay including releases from Bruichladdich, Lagavulin, Kilchoman, Bunnahabhain (this is traditionally unpeated and bucks the Islay trend), Bowmore and of course Laphroaig. I then fell in love with Talisker after a short stay on the Isle of Skye then moved on to trying releases from Scotland’s other whisky regions including sherried Glenfarclas, bourbon matured Glen Scotia and beyond. I became a little obsessed with building up my home bar and one day, over a generous pour of 10-year-old Laphroaig, I had a thought. The Tobermory distillery experience of trying two styles of Scotch side by side really helped me decide what flavour profile fit my palate, so what if I could help other people explore the world of Scotch one dram at a time in order to discover what they like and, sometimes, don’t like. And, with that, my very own Scotch whisky club was born!
A Whisky Club in the Making
I spent the next year or so buying a variety of releases from legacy independent bottlers including Gordon & MacPhail, Hunter Laing and Douglas Laing. I’d then re-bottle in 100ml bottles, write tasting notes for each whisky and send out packs of 3 x releases on a monthly basis. Essentially, this was the start of my whisky education and the club allowed me to fund a new hobby whilst developing my palate and learning about many of Scotland’s distilleries. A few years later the club evolved into my own whisky brand which led to an exit, accepting the role of Head of Innovation at a large whisky distillery group in Scotland where I spent 5 years developing their portfolio before leaving to join the team at Alumni Whisky. I sure am glad that my Dad suggested a trip to Tobermory distillery all those years ago as whisky really has changed my life!
Understanding Scotland’s Whisky Regions
Ok, now that you have the background, let’s get taste some whisky! Scotland has 6 whisky regions and historically each region had a common flavour profile, which was as follows:
- Highlands: Floral, honeyed and gently spiced
- Speyside: Fruit-forward, rich and elegant
- Islay: Heavily peated, smoky and maritime
- Lowlands: Light, fresh and citrus-led
- Campbeltown: Oily, complex and subtly coastal
- Islands: Coastal, peppery with a touch of smoke
Over the past 10 years, region styles have become a bit blurred for all but one. You can now find a bottle of unpeated Islay, a bottle of peated Speyside and a robust, full bodied lowland. The only region to retain its core style is Campbeltown and that’s purely down to numbers. There are now more than 150 distilleries across Scotland, each making their own take on Scotch whisky and, in recent years, experimenting more with cask finishes, barley varieties, yeast types, fermentation times, cut points, still temperatures and so on. The only reason Campbeltown remains the outlier is due to the fact that there are only 3 distilleries and that true ‘funky, oily’ DNA is something that Springbank, and less so Glen Scotia, are famous for. This may change with the influx of new distilleries that are currently planned for the late 2020’s, but for now you can be sure that there will be no surprises in your next dram of Campbeltown malt. Why is this important? Well, in the past I’d start a tasting with the region and explain why Islay is peated, Speyside is fruit-forward and so on but we can skip this and go straight to colour, which can tell us a lot about what we can expect to nose and taste.
Start With the Colour
The general rule is ‘the darker the colour, the older the whisky’ but there’s always a caveat. The first is whether or not E150A colouring has been added. This is the only ingredient that can be added to Scotch whisky out with water, barley and yeast. A controversial rule, of which we don’t have time to explore here, that has the effect of tricking drinkers into thinking the whisky in their glass is older than it actually is. The second caveat is the size of the cask. Smaller casks impart more of their influence in a shorter time period as there’s less surface area and so the whisky in the cask can move in and out of the wood more frequently than in a larger cask. For example, a quarter cask (125 litres) will impart more flavour than a sherry butt (500 litres) in the same time period.
But E150A and cask size aside, the colour will tell us what cask type the whisky has been matured or finished in. Colours such as stray/ gold/ amber suggest bourbon casks have been used. Copper/ mahogany suggest a sherry cask and deep red is most likely a wine cask. There are many more colours, which a simple Google search for ‘Whisky Colour Chart’ will reveal. Casks are used to mature Scotch whisky in order to build character and develop flavours that are not found during production. Most distilleries will quote the split is 30% production (where you can build fruit notes from fermentation times and texture from cut points) and 70% maturation. The maturation will take on flavours from the past cask e.g. sherry casks can add stewed fruit, spice and dark chocolate whilst a 1st fill bourbon cask may add vanilla and tropical fruit, which again varies from the orchard fruits found in a 2nd fill bourbon cask and so on. So, let’s start by holding your glass up to the light and pinning down the colour.
Nosing: Training Your Senses
Next up, the nose. What do you smell? Now, I don’t want to teach you how to ‘suck eggs’ but the approach to nosing whisky is different from smelling perfume, or anything else for that matter. Start by getting your nose inside the glass and then take short, sharp sniffs whilst opening your mouth and inhaling. Take a break, hold your glass up to the light again and lightly swirl the whisky around. You may notice some ‘legs’ appearing and this also gives us a clue as to the texture of the whisky. If the legs are thick, the spirit is rich and oily. If the legs are short and faint, then the whisky is light and will likely be more approachable. Ok, now come back for a second sniff. Smell anything beyond ‘whisky’? Don’t worry if you’re struggling to pick out notes. It can take years to develop your nose and, not surprisingly, the more you try the better you become (sounds like a win/ win to me). Also, notes are very subjective and are based on your experience. Years ago, I was sitting with Whisky Expert Blair Bowman and he was telling me that he developed his palate by attending a farmer’s market every weekend whilst living in Spain. He’d pick-up the fresh produce at each stall, close his eyes and take a deep breath attempting to add the smell to his mind’s flavour bank. This allowed him to start with a territory then decipher. For example, citrus > grapefruit >pink/ red/ white. Back to our whisky, anything else coming to mind?
Tasting: Unlocking the Flavours
The next step is the fun part: tasting. When you’re ready, take a sip and swirl the liquid around your mouth for a 3 or 4 seconds before you swallow then open your mouth and breath in through your nose. Scotch whisky is at a minimum proof of 80 and by opening your mouth you’re allowing the alcohol to evaporate off your tongue, which will make it easier to pick out key notes. Another way you can reduce the alcohol vapour is by adding a drop of water. Like every other area of Scotch, there’s much debate over what type of water you should use and whether or not you should be adding water at all. Ignore all of this and go ahead and add a drop or two. This is known as ‘releasing the serpent’ and will reduce the proof to reveal more notes. Master blenders tend to nose and taste at a 50:50 ration (50% whisky and 50% water), which automatically tells your all the ‘nay sayers’ are in the wrong!
The Finish: The Final Impression
Finally, the finish. Every whisky has a different finish which can be described as long, medium and short. The difference is essentially how long the whisky stays with you. Can you still taste the whisky at breakfast tomorrow morning? If so, long finish and you’re probably drinking a heavily peated Islay whisky (most likely Octomore). Or, does the whisky disappear quickly? If so, short and sweet (hopefully). Lastly, the temperature of the whisky will have an impact on flavour. If you’re in a warm climate e.g. Houston, then you’ll pick up different notes from being in Scotland. Years ago, I was in India, drinking Scotch with a distributor and he asked me if I’d feel more at home if my whisky was at Scottish room temperature. Unsure what he meant, I laughed nervously and said ‘yeh, sure’. He replied with ‘wait one minute’, left the room and returned a few minutes later holding a tray of ice. He then proceeded to add a few cubes into my glass and said ‘there you have it, Scottish room temp’! On that note (pardon the pun), I hope you enjoy the whisky in your glass and manage to pin down a few notes.
Slàinte y’all,
Calum