Developing a Taste for Whiskey

Right Turn Clyde

I'm in a bit of a bind. I'm dying to develop an interest in whiskey, but the problem is I can't stand the stuff! Before you laugh, I was in the exact same position with beer 2 years ago. I could only ever drink cider but I persevered and eventually developed a taste for the many different styles of beer that are out there.

Nowadays I regularly drink what my mates call tar or piss, i.e. stuff that actually tastes nice. So I think I have the palette for stronger flavours, at least when compared to most people I know.

I'm hoping I can do the same with whiskey. But spirits aren't as approachable as beers. Has anyone ever been in my position? Or have whiskey lovers always had a taste for it?

Insect Overlord

I only had my first proper sampling of whiskey and Scotch last weekend. It's an expensive hobby! And it burns. :P But you do notice the differences in style, especially if you take the time to sip each one slowly.

nosietoes

I used to hate whiskey - until rather recently when someone made me taste a very good quality one and I realised that it was delicious. I started off drinking high quality aged rums about 5 years ago which maybe helped tho...

poitinstill

RTC im the same boat .. been into hoppy beers for a while... .. i got a thing in aldi last year from cooley distillery 4 x 100 ml servings of their good.s ...Im sure some of the better whiskey shops ( celtic whiskeys ? ) will give you a taste of something to get you rolling.. i go to france for hols and in the boat shop they cant give away the samples of scotch single malts etc ...else next time you are in a big airport like heathrow ( not sure about dublin) take time to sample the single malts on offer in tax-duty free shops.

ebbsy

Go for a smooth like Johnnie Walker Red.

Drink it straight to get an appreciation, even no ice.

Right Turn Clyde

Cheers guys, I'm growing in confidence. :P

minidazzler

At the risk of sounding like an uncultured whatever, my advice is simple. Mixed drinks are your bag for starting to get into it. If you don't like the actual taste of whiskey a constant shock on your palate isn't going to force your tastes to relent. You need to ease into it.

So I recommend something simple, Jack and Coke, Jamie, Ginger and Lime, Scotch and Soda. Get to where you drink these with ease and little grimace, then cut back on the mixer until you can happily sip the liquor itself over ice and not grimace. Then Start trying more expensive and higher quality whiskeys to actually open your palate up.

pwurple

Whiskey tasting might get you started. The midleton distillery in Cork and the jameson distillery in dublin both do them very reasonably. I brought a few visitors to those tastings years ago, i think it's how I got into whiskey.

lyencoli

if its an appreciation of whiskey, try something like the following:
get 2/3 friends together and hit your local bar.
order a number of shots of whisk(e)y without ice, couple of empty glasses and a bottle of still mineral water.
for each shot, divide into a glass for each person.
take a sip of the whiskey and hold in mouth for a moment, consider the taste, mouthfeel (search for an image called the whisky wheel, it'll help to describe the tastes)(cant add a link, as i've only been a member for 4 years). add a small amount of water to the glass and taste again. the water will open the taste of the whiskey.
you need to add enough water to drop the abv from 40% to 30%, most whiskey's will be 40%, so you add about a quarter of the total volume.

repeat for each shot.

depending on the whiskeys available, go for as wide a range as possible. start with the mellow ones like Tullamore Dew or Jameson , then head for bushmills (bit more like a scotch), then onto a scotch (again start with mellow speysides like Glenfiddich or Glenmorangie, move onto blends like teachers/famous grouse/black and white) then onto heavy ones like laphroig (very peaty). if you are looking for more after that, maybe hit an american like wild turkey/jim beam/jack daniels.
go from mellow to peaty as you wont taste the the mellow whiskey after the peaty.

if there is a particular type that appeals to you, start exploring the variations of that segment - ie if you like the irish ones, go on up to Redbreast or the limited editions. Some bars are beginning to keep good stocks of the variations.

once you know which ones appeal to you, start on the cocktails like whiskey sours, juleps etc.

dharma200

Start with Scottish single malt Oban.... its like water sure .. would give anyone a taste for the stuff

bennyineire

I'm like yourself in that I started to drink craft beer a few years ago and love the stuff, I'm trying to get a taste for whiskey to.
I was in the Tullamore Dew Heritage centre a few months ago and they gave us a cocktail of Tullamore Dew and cloudy apple juice, must say it was lovely.
I tried a free sample of Paddy's new honey whiskey at the airport this weekend and I have to say it was quite nice and smooth, I drank it straight and I will be buying a bottle of it this weekend, might be good to start of with, as I've said its smooth and sweet not to harsh at all.
I also like Irish mist which I know isn't a whiskey but its a whiskey liquor, again I think it might be a good starting point as its very sweet but still has the whiskey taste and strength

I am pie

Sip it, don't gulp at it. It's a strong flavour which should be appreciated in smaller volumes in the mouth. Your tongue has senses bitterness, sweetness, saltiness etc in different places. Small sips, hold it in the mouth and consider the flavour before enjoying the burn on the way in.

Take your time. Personally I like a slice of strong cheese, maybe with a dash of honey to go with it, but am not mad on drinking a beer for every whiskey as eventually you spend less time on the whiskey and wash it back hastily with the beer.

A nice glass of whiskey will last me half an hour or so at home.

minidazzler

I am pie wrote: »

Sip it, don't gulp at it. It's a strong flavour which should be appreciated in smaller volumes in the mouth. Your tongue has senses bitterness, sweetness, saltiness etc in different places. Small sips, hold it in the mouth and consider the flavour before enjoying the burn on the way in.

No, it doesn't. Just one of the many lies still taught on the junior cert curriculum.

Right Turn Clyde

minidazzler wrote: »

No, it doesn't. Just one of the many lies still taught on the junior cert curriculum.

Well said.

Two more irritating myths:

1. The left brain v right brain distinction. Utter rubbish. It's just an excuse for people to indulge themselves at the expense of rationality.

2. That we only have 5 senses. There's at least 9, and maybe as many as 20.

I am pie

Suggestion nr 2.

Ignore the snobbery that surrounds whiskey, just enjoy it.

squonk

I started out drinking jameson with ice. I kind of built up a tolerance that way and then migrated to neat jameson as I quite liked the taste. After that I started to try lots more whiskey types. If you can find it, I would suggest starting out with a bottle fo Green Spot. It's a light floral, citrusy tasting whiskey that always reminds me of drinking a nice light hoppy beer on a warm day in comparison to other whiskeys. GS is a bit more expenive than Jameson etc. I happen to think the finest mainstream Irish whiskeys are Redbreast 12 and Bushmills Single Malt 10. You might enjoy these in time and they're so good that you should really enjoy the taste and balance. For something a little sweeter, try Crested Ten. It's got quite a pronounced sherry finish which makes it a little easier to drink.

nearzero

I'm not a whiskey drinker either but I really like a whiskey liqueur like Irish Mist - might be a soft introduction for you into whiskey?? I might be told that is completely the wrong thing to do though!

Nicest whiskey or liqueur I've ever had though is the Scottish whiskey Glayva - that stuff is like liquid caramel, elixir of the Gods!!!