Grab Your Whisky Passport For This Tasting Journey Through Premium Liquor
This holiday season, host an intimate gathering comprising close friends and family for an exclusive journey into your liquor cabinet. A themed party is always memorable and if your loved ones are fond of quality spirits, you can organise a delightful exploration of the world of whiskies… with interesting twists. Rather than a distillery tour, open up your collection to your friends or ask them to bring a choice of premium whisky to host a delightful tasting journey at home.
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Choose from a range of whiskies including Antiquity Blue or RC American Pride or an exquisite scotch like Johnny Walker Black Label or a luxury Godawan Artisanal Single Malt to kick things off and dive right into your themed whisky-tasting journey. Here are some handy notes on curating and hosting a whisky-tasting tour at home:
Pick Your Theme
A theme gives structure to a tasting journey making it more enjoyable for participants. For a whisky tasting, this can be anything from picking specific regions like Scottish or Irish whisky or American bourbon to choosing whiskies aged across a range of time to hosting a tasting of the whiskies that appear in celebrated novels like The Great Gatsby or Grapes of Wrath. A blind tasting can be an interesting theme too, where participants have to rely entirely on their senses to gauge a spirit’s profile.
Organise Your Spirits
The next step is to arrange the whiskies in the order in which they will be consumed. One alternative is to start with the lightest spirit and conclude with the smokiest liquor. If you are exploring whiskies of different ages, begin with the least aged but if it is a blind tasting, mix the spirits up and reveal their crafting processes later!
How Much Whisky?
A tasting journey ought to include a minimum of four to a maximum of eight whiskies. Serve about one finger or 15 ml of each variety (if you have a total of four, that is) in a classic snifter or even wine glasses with deep bowls. Make sure your guests finish their drink or have tasted adequately before moving on to the next one. A bottle per whiskey would be enough to host a small gathering. Do keep tabs on how much you’re serving: you don’t want your guests’ enjoyment to be marred by a lack of moderation or irresponsible hosting.
The Art of Conversation
A key part of any tasting is to talk about the flavour profile of the spirit and appreciate its complexity. On a whisky tasting journey, an important order of business is to make sure your guests engage in a meaningful conversation about what they are tasting. Take your time on this journey and move on to the next spirit in a synchronised fashion.
Appetisers and Palate Cleansers
As with a wine tasting, a whisky journey requires palate cleansers. A plate of crackers is a crunchy, salty and crispy snack to combat flavour fatigue. You can also serve cheese and charcuterie or hummus and other assorted dips. Another excellent pairing is whiskey and chocolate so you can arrange for milk or flavoured chocolates to be served during the tasting.
To Add Or Not To Add Water
While on a whisky tasting journey, hydration is key! A serving of whisky should be accompanied by a glass of plain water (on the side). But during the tasting, whisky should be served neat and a couple of drops of water can be added only if guests desire, for finding out whether the taste alters. You can buy little droppers from the store for guests to add water to their glasses.
Concluding thoughts…
A whisky-tasting journey can be your next exclusive hosting idea where you can open up your collection of premium liquor to an invigorating evening with your guests. You can amp up your tasting experience by displaying cards or labels which provide a note on the history and production of the spirit, akin to a distillery tour.
