NFW: Tasting — Smells Like Whisky Spirit. Whisky Olfactory Analysis
Sight is certainly objective, but with smell, things definitely change. In fact, olfactory analysis is more technical and subordinate to our olfactory memory, and since smell is the least practised of our senses, more difficult.
A good taster is not someone who has tasted thousands of samples of whisky, but someone who possesses a very extensive olfactory memory, who can distinguish between hundreds of different aromas and can associate a name with each one: a fruit, a flower, a chemical. This kind of memory cannot be built by reading books. One has to practise and learn to memorise scents. That said, let us see how our nose can approach a dram of whisky.
The olfactory analysis must be done in a neutral room, with no odours or ambient scents to disturb the analysis. Obviously, one cannot immediately stick one’s nose into the glass; the strong presence of alcohol would anaesthetise our nose, blocking it for at least ten minutes. The approach must therefore be progressive. We bring the nose close to the rim of the glass for a quick sniff, immediately moving the glass away and returning to it alternating nostrils. With each sniff, we try to capture a new scent.
It is important that the whisky is at room temperature. Cold inhibits the release of scents, making them more difficult to detect. And one should not be in a hurry. A whisky, especially an old and complex one, evolves over time. As soon as it is poured into the glass, it releases the most powerful aromas, which are gradually replaced by increasingly complex secondary aromas. To speed up this process, two or three drops of water can be added, but literally no more, to be added with an eyedropper. The water comes into contact with the oils in the whisky and causes a minimal rise in temperature, resulting in an accelerated release of the aromas.
But what can we find by sniffing a glass of whisky?
To simplify a little:
- Whiskies matured in ex-bourbon casks generally have aromas of yellow fruit (apple, pear), tropical fruit (pineapple) and vanilla.
- Whiskies matured in ex-sherry casks release aromas of red fruit (cherry), sultanas, spices (pepper, cinnamon) and dried fruit.
- Whiskies matured or finished in ex-wine casks have very varied vinous aromas; they have been matured in Port, Pinot Noir, Barolo, Sauternes etc., each with an obviously different contribution.
- Young whiskies generally have an important scent of malt, are energetic and immediately reveal everything on the first sniff.
- Old whiskies generally evolve in the glass; over the years the malt component is gradually replaced by an aroma of wood and sawdust, and the aromas are generally more subdued. Complex, more horizontal.
A separate discourse must be made for peated whiskies. These are generally accompanied by a pronounced marine note. They are generally whiskies matured in ex-bourbon because the harshness introduced by the smokiness does not go well with the harshness introduced by the ex-sherry spices. Thus the yellow, tropical fruit and vanilla component is joined by the smoky component of peat, seaweed, sea breeze and salted fish. As well as medicinal scents of camphor and iodine.
The peat aroma, then, very intense in a young spirit, gradually disappears with age, until it almost vanishes in whiskies that have spent more than 25–30 years in casks.
So now you just have to try out your olfactive memory and see what it comes.
And then, after the eyes and nose, we will explore what happens when the whisky finally touches the tongue!
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NFWhisky is a whisky culture eco-system dedicated to the facilitation of producing fine and unique whisky and bringing it to the world through NFTs.
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