Welcome to the latest Summerton ClubWHISKY REVEALED
Dan Humphrey (founder of Summerton Whisky Club) poses the question for fellow whisky enthusiast, Vin PF (Whisky Reviewer, No Nonsense Whisky):
What whisky would you give to a friend as their first bottle? And why?
“Buying a whisky for anyone is a challenge, especially if they are only just showing interest in whisky. The last thing you want to do is scare them off, but then they also might have a natural disposition to the bolder flavours, like peat (lucky people!). So, I try to come at it from a different perspective.
When a close friend of mine calls me up looking to get into whisky, I will invariably design them a blind tasting that spans the vast worldwide offerings, sample it up and give it to them to try, in private, at their leisure. I do this because I’ve discovered that simply inviting them over to my house and pouring the same drams can make them feel uncomfortable or pressured.
Meet the expert
Vin PF, No Nonsense Whisky
Selecting the drams can take a bit of thought, but for an opening gambit I will usually include the following: ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, single grain, a bourbon and a peated. Two will usually be Scotch, but I try to include as many different countries as possible. I also try to keep the bottle price to sub £50 if I can. At this point, I’m not trying to wow them, simply to find out what their initial impressions are of each whisky.
OK, so tasting set complete. I pass that over to said friend with just a number on each bottle. All I want from them is thoughts, not tasting notes. Do they like them, and which order? Do any invoke any memories? Could they tell the styles apart? etc.
After this, I can usually have a good idea about which bottles they might enjoy and I can point them in the direction of their new whisky journey.”