If you are a whiskey drinker you know the best whiskeys have a history. So it may not be a surprise that some of the best whiskeys in the world start in the historical state of Tennessee.
But whether you do or don’t know a lot about Tennessee whiskey, we have a strategic way to begin learning about it.
One of the best places to start your whiskey tasting learning adventure is with our legendary whiskey tours.
Our whiskey tasting tours go to Tennessee distilleries with history, superb tasting whiskey, and some magical ingredients. The combination makes Tennessee whiskey one of a kind.
There is a system to whiskey tasting. We are going to give you 5 tips to help get you on the way to tasting some of the best whiskey in the world.
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Whiskey Tips
Whether you have ever had a whiskey tasting experience or want to learn about whiskey tasting we have some whiskey tips to share with you.
Here are a couple of the whiskey tasting tips which will help you enjoy and savor your whiskey tasting experiences.
- Relax and enjoy the aroma while savoring the taste. Whiskey isn’t like any other liquor. Enjoy every moment it sits in your glass and its aroma lifts to your senses.
- Lift it up to your nose to sniff the whiskey’s essence. Take a small sip to feel and taste the flavor.
- Whiskey experts call that chewing the scotch moment. It delivers the best whiskey tasting experience you can have.
- Use the right glassware when whiskey tasting. Glassware makes a difference when you are on your whiskey tasting adventure.
- Stemmed glass is necessary to avoid heating the contents of the whiskey in your glass.
- The stemmed glass provides distance between the whiskey and odors from lotions, soap or anything else on your hands.
- The stemmed glass shouldn’t be too deep because the depth of the glass displaces the volatile compounds in whiskey.
- The result is the heaviest compounds won’t have the chance to rise to the top of the glass for your full whiskey tasting aromatic experience.
How to Taste Whiskey
Now you know the best mood and glassware to have when whiskey tasting. Let us now explore how best to actually see, feel and taste the whiskey.
Here are a few tips to help you receive a full-flavored experience during your whiskey tasting tours in Tennessee distilleries.
- When you are whiskey tasting to receive the most from your experience you want to involve your nose. In fact, you can involve your nose in whiskey tasting in six different stages.
- When you smell you are having a chemical staged reaction. To release the first chemical aroma stage for whiskey hold your glass directly under your nose to allow the aroma to rise.
- Do now swirl the whiskey. That is excellent for wine but not whiskey.
- Turn the glass on its side perpendicular to your face. Start moving the glass up in a straight line to smell the different aroma layers.
- Each layer in whiskey has various weighted compounds such as spicy, smoky, woody, etc.
- The more volatile compounds will reach your nose first giving you a hint of what is to come.
- The third stage is when you hold the glass horizontal with your nose above the top of the glass by 1/2 inch or so.
- This allows the lighter volatile compounds like the floral ones to be smelled by your nose.
- When you smell you are having a chemical staged reaction. To release the first chemical aroma stage for whiskey hold your glass directly under your nose to allow the aroma to rise.
When the Nose Can Discern the Whiskey’s Aroma Profile
- There are some special ‘nose’ stages which need their own section because of their uniqueness. They are as follows;
- The fourth stage of whiskey tasting requires you to vary your rate of breathing in and out.
- This variance of breathing depths allows you to have different aroma molecules bind to your olfactory system.
- This happens with each varied depth breath.
- The fifth stage of whiskey tasting is sniffing the whiskey first with one nostril and then the other.
- This alternating sniffing of the whiskey should give you a different aroma per nostril.
- The last and sixth stage uses the logical application of what is called the aroma wheel.
- In other words, what aroma did you not profile or notice as you sniffed the whiskey in all the previous stages?
- That gives you the whiskey aroma family you are getting ready to taste.
- The fourth stage of whiskey tasting requires you to vary your rate of breathing in and out.
Whiskey Tasting
Whiskey tasting still has two more tips which bring you the most whiskey flavor and enjoyment.
The purity of the whiskey is important for the nose palate. You definitely need the right glassware and mood when on your whiskey tasting adventure.
But you can also use these last two tips to heighten your whiskey tasting experience.
- It is common for a good whiskey tasting experience to add a little bit of water to your whiskey tasting sample.
- Sometimes a little splash of water lifts the aroma of whiskey right up to your nose with new flavors and smells.
- Flavors and smells you may not have noticed without adding the water.
- Finally, once you take the sip of whiskey and it is on your tongue let it sit there a minute or so.
- Swish it against your cheeks and hold it a bit more. Then you can swallow it.
- If it is too strong for you make sure to take a deep breath of air and continue the process again.
Whiskey Tours
Now you know some excellent tips when you go on your whiskey tasting tour. We are the premier whiskey tasting distillery tour company in Tennessee for a reason.
We have whiskey tours to every Tennessee whiskey you already drink or may want to know about.
This selection includes whiskey tasting distillery tours to:
- Jack Daniel’s Distillery
- Collier and McKeel Distillery
- Corsair Artisan Distillery
- Nashville Craft Distillery
- Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
- Leiper’s Fork Distillery
- Pennington Distilling Company
- Prichard’s Distillery
- H. Clark Distillery
It doesn’t matter which Tennessee whiskey tasting experience or at which distillery you want to go to.
One of a Kind Experience
Chances are we have the whiskey tasting tour you want to join. Whiskey tasting is a one-of-a-kind experience full of aromas and tastes.
Tennessee whiskey tasting gives you the legendary beauty of Tennessee as a bonus.
Don’t wait one more day to enjoy the sites, aromas, taste, and beauty of Tennessee whiskey tasting. We’ll be waiting for you!
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