How To Taste Whisky Like An Expert
Elena Marchetti, Head of Curation · 7 min read
The five-step ritual professional tasters use — colour, nose, palate, finish and the second nose after water.
Look
Tilt the glass against white light. Deeper colour can suggest sherry casks or long maturation, though caramel colouring is legal in many markets — treat colour as a clue, never proof.
Nose in stages
Keep your mouth slightly open and nose gently at the rim, then deeper. Aggressive sniffing numbs your receptors with ethanol. Give the glass sixty seconds to breathe before judging anything.
Taste and chew
Take a small sip and coat your entire palate. The first sip calibrates; the second is where flavour appears.
Measure the finish
Count the seconds the flavour lingers. A long, evolving finish is the clearest marker of quality. Then add two drops of water and nose again.
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Bottles to put the theory into practice
Speyside · Scotland
The Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak
18 Years · 43% ABV · 700ml
Kentucky · USA
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon
8 Years · 45% ABV · 750ml
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Getting Started
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