WHISKY FOR EVERYONE
Love at first sip
We all have that one pal who’s convinced whisky isn’t for them. You’ve heard phrases like ‘it all tastes the same’ or ‘it’s too rough’. Or maybe that was even you at one point? But how can you bring these whisky-shy folk around, and convince them that whisky really is for everyone? The Society’s Duncan Gorman explains
Have you ever thought that you don’t like whisky? Whether a harsh kick of alcohol caught your throat with your first ever sip, or you were put off by an unexpected peat bomb, many of us whisky lovers didn’t necessarily fall in love with our beloved drink at first sip.
But what was it that changed along the way? For me, whisky at some stage stopped being something grim and I somehow transformed into a passionate evangelist, committed to spreading the word on whisky in its purest form. Now I find myself encouraging my friends on their own whisky journeys, but often come up against the same reservations I once had. “I don’t like whisky, it all tastes the same to me! I don’t think it’s for me.” The truth is that whisky’s for everyone. The hard part can be trying to show them.
ABOVE: Adding a small splash of water can also be a game changer at the beginning of a whisky journey
OPEN YOUR MIND
My love for whisky started with an open mind. Everything started to change as soon as I allowed myself to slow down and start focusing on flavour, rather than glugging it. Relax with your dram and it becomes easier to realise how even the same whisky can take on different characteristics at different times.
Adding a small splash of water can also be a game changer at the beginning of a whisky journey. As well as breaking down the preconception that whisky is a holy liquid not to be tampered with, it helps reduce the kick from the alcohol and even transforms the character of the dram itself. Whisky should be drunk however you enjoy it most, and trying the same dram both neat and with water shows how a whisky’s flavour can vary, even within the exact same glass.
Even without water, the same dram can taste completely different on different occasions. From what you’ve eaten for lunch, to what side of the bed you woke up on that morning, there are an endless number of factors that influence the way each dram tastes. Even where you enjoy your dram can have a huge impact. The Society has always been an advocate for experimenting with various locations to enjoy your whisky, whether it’s a small swig on top of a Scottish hillside, inside a sauna, or even inside a sensory deprivation tank (as we’ve show in previous issues of Unfiltered – with the caveat that you should always practise responsible drinking, of course).
PICTURED: The Society bottles its whisky in 12 distinct flavour profiles to help identify what style you might like
FLAVOUR BEHAVIOUR
The real fun begins in realising just how many flavours there are waiting to be discovered. For those who say they don’t like whisky, it’s more likely they’ve just not found the right one yet. The Society makes this easy for people at all stages of their whisky journey, with 12 distinct flavour profiles helping anyone to identify what style they might like.
But in order to notice the subtle and not so subtle differences in a whisky’s character, it first helps to have a basic understanding of what factors influence the final flavour. The variations at play during flavour creation are essentially endless, and although that holds its own magic, it can be quite overwhelming to a beginner.
ABOVE: Trying a variety of whisky can help you develop your tastes
A great base level to start from is by looking at what cask type the spirit was matured in, with bourbon and sherry casks being a staple of aging Scotch whisky.
Being able to recognise the well-loved honey and vanilla notes from an ex-bourbon cask, or the nutty dried fruits that sherry casks are most known for, is a huge step forward in identifying what’s in your glass, and what you enjoy most.
That opens the door nicely for anyone to delve into the world of flavour creation, with the various influences from still shapes, fermentation times, cask treatments and worm tubs waiting to be discovered.
COUNTER CONSISTENCY
There is no better place for whisky lovers than The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, no matter where you are on your whisky journey. Where many distilleries try to recreate their own distinctive flavour profile to become a recognisable and consistent brand, the Society does the exact opposite.
Bottling from over 160 distilleries, we are very much flavour first and try to offer as wide a range of expressions as possible. You’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere that offers as much variety as the Society, making it the perfect place to develop your flavour knowledge.
It’s also easy to get caught up in preconceptions about what certain distilleries should taste like, often because of this familiar branded flavour they’ve worked so hard to develop.
But with a flavour-first approach, the Society’s Whisky Team prides itself in experimenting with flavours that are quite far from what you might find in a distillery’s flagship bottle.
POSITIVE PAIRINGS
The best possible way to help someone find a whisky they love is, of course, to taste as many different flavours and styles as possible. It’s all fine and well telling you this, but it can become quite costly buying a full bottle to see if you like it. That’s why you can never go wrong by heading along to an SMWS tasting. A flight of single cask whiskies, usually progressing through multiple flavour profiles, will soon build your confidence, especially in the company of one of our expert ambassadors. A tasting is the perfect entry point for yourself or a friend, so keep an eye out for any of our wonderful pairings. Who knew the lure of a perfectly cooked steak to accompany their drams could be the final nudge your whisky-shy friend needs?
ABOVE: You can’t go wrong by heading to an SMWS tasting
Above all else, it’s essential that you keep it fun! It can be easy to get bogged down by various ‘rules’, but so long as you keep an open mind and drink your dram the way you enjoy most, then you can’t go wrong.
If you’re looking to share your love for whisky with a friend, then make the most of our refer-a-friend deal. Refer a friend today and they’ll receive 20 per cent off their Society membership and you’ll receive a £20 voucher to spend online for every friend successfully signed up. There’s no limit to the number of friends you can refer, so what are you waiting for? It’s time to prove that whisky really can be for everyone, especially at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
https://smws.com/refer-a-friend
PICTURED: Whisky really can be for everyone, especially at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society