Tasting - Tips for the Perfect Whisky Experience

To fully enjoy whisky with all your senses and compare different bottlings, a whisky tasting is perfect. You can indulge in this alone in peace or celebrate it as an event with like-minded people.

A few prerequisites are helpful and important, which we will discuss in more detail here, so that the enjoyment is undisturbed and the spectrum of fine whisky aromas can be perceived without restrictions.

Which glass is best suited for whisky?

The best glasses are so-called "nosing glasses" of good glass quality, with a wide opening at the top to capture all volatile aromas with the nose. When tasting, the wide glass opening is an advantage, so that only the front part of the tongue tastes first. This is because in the back part of the palate we taste the sometimes slightly bitter oak notes, which only appear when swallowing. The glass should be relatively thin-walled so that it can warm up when held in the hand; thus, thick small tumblers are out of the question for this purpose. With a capacity of approx. 2-4 cl, nosing glasses are optimized for this purpose.

Of course, it's perfect to taste St. Kilian single malt whisky in the appropriate glasses and not in glasses from other whisky brands. You can order St. Kilian mini nosing glasses directly in the online shop. The glasses should be clean and undamaged, a clear glass is important for recognizing the color. The whisky can also be "tasted" with the eyes and you can get an idea of the color of the distillate.

What else belongs to a proper whisky tasting?

The right food accompaniment for the tasting

When tasting, provide a suitable food accompaniment – the spectrum ranges from fresh bread to small canapés with delicious spreads and vegetable sticks. The taste buds are thus neutralized between each new spirit and are virtually "ready to receive" again.

Take notes during the tasting

Make notes so that you don't lose track during the tasting and can record your impressions. The St. Kilian Tasting Book is perfect for this! Don't forget writing utensils.

How many whiskies should be tasted at a tasting?

Several whiskies can be tasted at a tasting, but not too many, otherwise the sensitive taste buds will be overwhelmed; a maximum of approx. 4-6 whiskies is optimal.

Water and whisky?

At St. Kilian, the New Make Spirit goes into the cask at 63.5% and loses alcohol strength over the years during its maturation, so that after 3 years it still has approx. 59% volume. If you were to taste a cask strength whisky now, it would numb the tongue and severely impair our sense of taste. Therefore, if necessary, cask strength whisky can be diluted with water as desired and to taste.

For the tasting, definitely provide water – preferably still water from glass bottles. This is important so that you can rinse the glass after each whisky. Under no circumstances should the whisky be "frozen" with ice cubes, as the fine aromas come out best at room temperature.

The four steps of tasting:

1. Inspect the whisky

Hold the whisky in the glass against the light, observe the sparkle and glow. Streaks, or so-called "legs" that come from the viscosity of the whisky, can be observed when gently turning the glass. These are particularly visible in the alcohol strength range of 43-48% when the whisky slowly runs back into the glass.

2. Extensive sniffing - the "nosing"

Even if you can't believe it, the nose has significantly more receptors than the tongue! Swirl the whisky and breathe in gently, constantly turning and swirling the liquid in the glass. Please do not put your nose too deep into the swirled glass, otherwise the volatile alcoholic components will primarily come to the fore and mask all other fine notes. The "tornado in the glass" - i.e. too vigorous swirling of the liquid in the glass - is also not helpful for capturing the desired aromas.

You can also - similar to a noble perfume - press the distillate in the glass against your hand to capture the aromas that react with the warm skin.

3. Then drink the whisky

After extensive tasting with the nose, the tasting with the tongue follows, over which the liquid is slowly allowed to run. This organ is a true marvel and distinguishes different flavors in different regions: rather sweet at the tip, rather salty and sour in the middle, and then the bitter notes at the very back. Let the whisky "roll" extensively over your tongue first and do not swallow it immediately. By deliberately "rinsing" in the mouth, all areas of the palate, lips and underside of the tongue are stimulated, thus intensifying the taste experience.

4. Finally, enjoy the finish

How long do the different aromas remain in the mouth, do others emerge afterwards, and is the sweetness or smoke more present after consumption? These questions should then be considered at leisure, and if necessary, notes on the whisky tasting should be taken down.

It should be mentioned that there are, of course, no strict rules regarding the perfect whisky tasting, as everyone should feel comfortable doing it, and tastes are known to differ.

In any case, we wish you much fun and enjoyment when tasting your St. Kilian's!