WHISKY HISTORY
Re-inventing the wheel
From the search for a common language to use within the whisky industry, the flavour wheel has developed to become a consumer tool for various subjects. Gavin D Smith traces its origins and growth in popularity
We have all experienced an aroma or flavour when drinking whisky that instantly transports us to a specific event, place and time in our lives. It may be a beach with the breakers rolling in, a wood fire in a grate, or an almost-forgotten dish cooked by granny.
Such personal reactions are emotive and often very affecting, but they are just that. Personal. They really don’t help us to share with others the aromas and flavours of the particular dram in question. This is an issue not just for whisky aficionados but also for distillers, blenders and others working in the Scotch whisky industry.
The ideal of a system employing a common vocabulary, where everyone concerned could be reasonably certain that they were all on the same sensory wavelength, was the creation of Sheila Burtles of Pentlands Scotch Whisky Research Ltd, now the Scotch Whisky Research Institute (SWRI), and the subject of a profile in last month’s Unfiltered.
“Companies trading with each other wanted a common language,” says Frances Jack, senior scientist at SWRI. “They wanted to know from company to company that if they specified a ‘fruity’ whisky, for example, all parties knew exactly what was meant. The wheel was an industry tool, not a public one.”
A working party set up by the Blending and Bottling Committee of Pentlands to develop a ‘flavour vocabulary’ led to the publication of an extremely influential paper, titled The flavour terminology of Scotch Whisky, which appeared in the November 1979 edition of the Brewers’ Guardian. It was authored by Sheila Burtles, her close colleague the late Dr Jim Swan, and George W Shortreed of J&B and Paul Rickards, blender for Robertson & Baxter Ltd, and included the first iteration of the famous flavour wheel.
From that beginning, sensory evaluation tools based on variations of the Pentlands wheel have been developed for everything from wine – where there is even a ‘mouthfeel’ wheel – and gin, to chocolate and body odour, with spider diagrams and matrices evolving along the way for whisky analysis.
“The Scotch whisky industry took the lead in developing the flavour wheel when it didn’t exist. They were really pioneers. The language is now more user-friendly and less scientific, and it has ‘off-notes’ on it, too”
Frances Jack
As Frances explains: “The Scotch whisky industry took the lead in developing the flavour wheel when it didn’t exist. They were really pioneers. The whisky wheel hasn’t remained static, either, as the first one had lots of chemical technology. The language is now more user-friendly and less scientific, and it has ‘off-notes’ on it, too. We consulted with blenders across the industry for our current version.”
When asked why the flavour wheel as a concept has endured and been so successful, Frances responds by saying that: “The structure is so good, with its three layers.
“There are central characteristics for people to pick up on and they then move out to more specific characteristics, and it works the other way round, too. ‘Peaty’ for example can break down into more specifics, and you can work inwards or outwards.”
She adds that: “It was developed for the industry to monitor and control its products, but has now been developed for consumers, thanks to Charlie MacLean.” Recalling his introduction to the flavour wheel, whisky legend Charlie recalls that: “I was lucky enough to be offered a spare place on a course about sensory evaluation run by Pentlands for the Scotch whisky trade in 1992, and it changed my life!
“The original wheel was very much for the trade, and I did my own version in 1997 and refined and altered it until it was published in 2014. Mine has eight segments and was simplified and made more user-friendly for consumer use, but it follows exactly the same principles. I also developed a whisky colour chart which runs along the bottom of ‘my’ wheel. I always stress that the wheel is only to be used for guidance, however. I encourage people to use their own language when describing aroma and flavours.”
“We thought that the wheel and spider diagrams looked a bit off-putting unless you were very enthusiastic. We wanted something short, sharp and to the point. Discussions took place and it took a few years for things to align.”
Kai Ivalo
When it comes to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and sensory evaluation, spirits director Kai Ivalo declares that: “We thought that the wheel and spider diagrams looked a bit off-putting unless you were very enthusiastic. We wanted something short, sharp and to the point. Discussions took place and it took a few years for things to align.”
He notes that: “On one occasion an SMWS barman was speaking to a new member. The member didn’t know whisky terminology so he used wine terminology, and the barman in turn didn’t understand that. The ‘Holy Grail’ was clearly something everyone could use.”
Around 2009, the SMWS developed a partnership with the Hotel du Vin chain of luxury boutique hotels, and as Kai recalls: “Their bartenders needed a way of developing something for SMWS whiskies.
“At the same time, Euan Campbell, now our spirits manager, was working with our Member Services team, and he started off his own bat to create a matrix for the team, so that if something had sold out, the team could suggest to members similar alternatives, based on flavour.
“We identified the various categories and developed our own system with flavour profile categories and we’ve used it for around a decade now. We wanted something really simple, which had to make people feel comfortable.”
Kai points out that: “The flavour profiling system we have is purely meant as a way for members to navigate choice. When the Tasting Panel decides what is going to be bottled, at the end of selection they decide which terms will be used.
SMWS spirits manager Euan Campbell started to use a system of flavour profiles to help members navigate Society whiskies
“We are always tweaking and evolving the system. We get feedback from colleagues who might say that some terms don’t translate particularly well, is the term ‘Old & Dignified’ really useful, are three peated profiles sufficient, and so on.
“We are always thinking about what we can do to make the system better. I should stress that we all use the SWRI wheel internally at the SMWS. It’s fantastic!”
Although a ‘quiet’ innovation, the whisky flavour wheel and the many adaptations and variations it has spawned, has undoubtedly had a major impact on the way Scotch malt whisky is discussed, appreciated and consumed.