Welcome to the latest Summerton ClubWHISKY REVEALED
Ian Wisniewski (food, drink and travel writer, broadcaster and all-round whisky expert) poses the question for industry expert, Matt McKay (Director of Whisky Creation and Outreach, Dunphail Distillery:
What approach do you take when tasting whisky, what do you look for, and how do you assess what you find?
“First off, it’s important to draw a distinction between tasting and drinking. They are not the same. The goal of whisky tasting is to achieve a wide-ranging sensory analysis – the goal of drinking should be enjoyment. That is not to say that there can’t be overlap of course – but when approaching whisky from an investigative perspective, a far more systematic approach than “what colour is it? and does it taste nice?” needs to be employed.
My method starts with always trying to minimise any external factors when tasting. I.E. I taste at the same time of day, in the same room, using the same nosing glass and with as many peripheral sources of sound and particularly scent kept as curtailed as possible. This is to ensure that every whisky tasted, no matter when, is treated as uniformly as possible. It’s a little heads-down and antisocial, but then I do feel that done properly, analysis tasting needs to be.
Meet the expert
Matt McKay, Dunphail Distillery
In terms of the examination itself I have a list of characteristics that I’m looking for. On the nose, a selection of primary and supportive aromas – their style (light and grassy, sweet and rich, dank and peaty etc) and their prevalence and level of expressiveness. I’m also looking for how well these individual aromas coalesce. More on that shortly.
The palate I start by exploring two aspects – firstly how this translates from the nose (noting differences and perfect correlations) and secondly the initial ‘attack’ and mouthfeel of the whisky. Depending on the strength of the whisky, at this point your palate could be detecting more alcohol than actual flavour (when I’m grading cask samples, I’m pre-diluting these down to below 30% ABV before tasting to avoid this), so it’s next to impossible to properly assess a whisky on first sip alone. Your palate needs time to adjust and to set itself to the task in hand.
Following thoughts on the arrival and textural qualities of a spirit (its weight, feel and ‘mouthcling’ – all very important to me and not just a function of higher alcoholic strength), I look to rationalise the profile of the whisky itself. Sweetness vs. bitterness, spirit vs. cask, the intensities of particular flavours (fruits, sugars, grains and any industrial cues etc) and how these mingle and develop throughout the mouth. I’m keeping the whisky in my mouth for far longer than you would when just drinking – indeed, as an action, I’m ‘chewing it’, coating all the surfaces of my palate to get the maximum exposure to the facets of the liquid. You won’t get much from a whisky if it’s just straight down the hatch!
The sensory analysis of aromas and flavours in terms of specific naming is where you’ll always find the most variance in people’s notes – some try to keep things simple; others draw from rather florid descriptions based on their sense memories.
But for me the important aspect here is that I understand the intent of the whisky. I.E. that no matter the dram, that there is a distinct direction and journey of its composition. And so, when it comes to analysis for my job, that explicitly means that there is a selection of traits that I’m searching for within any given sample – and where these are not present, or indeed are differently constituted – I will seek to understand why. Again – in an attempt to recognise that journey all the way from new make spirit to matured whisky.
The final point of my analysis is the aspect that I’d consider to be the most important for any whisky – balance. It’s all very well having a big booming flavour at the very heart of your dram, but if other characteristics detract away from this, a whisky is arguably lacking in poise. Think of it like a curry – you can throw a near infinite amount of chilli at it – but that won’t make the sum of its parts add up to more. It’ll just be hotter. The same is true with whisky – whilst particular aromas and flavours can lead, the equilibrium of the whole ‘recipe’ is where the real magic is at. And to my mind, true harmony is what elevates one whisky over and above another.
Assessment is a personal thing. Be that of singular aromas and flavours, or indeed the shapes and features that these individual elements take when they are amalgamated. Who is really to say something is vanilla custard as opposed to crème patisserie? We all experience whisky in an individual manner – drawing from our own experiences and palates. However, practice and consistent repetition are certainly ‘things’ when it comes to whisky tasting. I’ve sampled somewhere in the region of 8,000+ whiskies over my lifetime and so I’m coming to the table with a fair number of predefined opinions on what quality is and how it, flavour and balance manifest themselves – and as such what my individual palate is looking for in order to identify and grade those attributes.
But that can actually be a weight on my shoulders. It’s sometimes hard to switch off the analytical brain and just kick back and enjoy a whisky. And so, if you identify yourself as a drinker who just enjoys whisky – don’t ever feel anxious that you’re not being analytic enough.