With whisky shows and expos like Whisky Live now up and running in many countries, whisky lovers all over the world now have the opportunity to attend amazing tasting events where there is much to sample and experience in a short session.
(Note this article has been amended for European/US readers. If you’re reading in Australia, click here for the original, more localised version).
I recently reflected on how many different articles I’d written over the years that shared a theme or objective that could loosely be summarised as “How to get the most out of your dram”. But something that hadn’t been addressed in any detail is how best to plan your attack when attending an expo-style tasting event, i.e. a whisky show. Playing it right, or otherwise, can mean the difference between having an outstanding sensory and culinary experience, or having a dull, confusing session.
As someone who regularly attends whisky shows as both a regular punter and as an exhibitor behind the table, I’m only too aware that attendees need to plan their session or employ wise strategy if they are to get the best out of what is on offer. Play it wrong, and you truly rob yourself of a rewarding, positive opportunity.
So what am I referring to here? Put simply and succinctly, it is choosing the order in which you taste your drams. When you walk into the room at a whisky show and you’re confronted with as many as 200 different whiskies to try, discipline, planning and wisdom is the difference between a fantastic tasting session, or collapsing in a heap on the footpath as you’re escorted from the venue! And I should say at this point that if you’re the type of person that attends these events and looks to put 50 whiskies under your belt before stumbling out the door, then this article is NOT for you. But if you’re the type of person who wants to carefully taste and consider, say, just 10 to 20 whiskies, OR you’re at an event where you’re limited to the number of whiskies you can taste because of a voucher system, then you should pay close attention to the following paragraphs. Because if you’re limited to tasting, say, 12 whiskies when there is so much more on offer, you clearly have to decide which whiskies you want to try, and which whiskies you’re happy to ignore or bypass. That’s the first critical decision, and everyone will choose differently depending on their personal tastes and preferences. No problem there. But the next decision – which is incredibly critical – is choosing which order to taste your selected drams in!
If you were fronting up to taste a flight of red wines in a single sitting, everyone knows to start at the lighter end of the spectrum and then work your way towards the bigger, more robust varieties. If you turn up to a vineyard or winery to taste their range, and they’ll start you on their merlot; work you through up to their shiraz; and then finish with the sticky/dessert wine. No argument from anyone. Tasting the different styles in the right order means you taste and experience all the little nuances and subtleties of each creation, and the preceding drink doesn’t overshadow or dominate/destroy the subsequent drink.
It bemuses me, then, when people turn up to taste a flight of whiskies at a whisky show and throw this accepted wisdom out the window. I noticed many people walk into the room at these events and immediately form a queue right in front of the biggest, smokiest Islay; or head straight to the table serving the oldest or most expensive bottling. If your first dram of the day is the peatiest Ardbeg available, how on earth are you going to taste and enjoy the subtle floral, fruit, or spice notes in any unpeated dram after that?
Similarly, it must be recognised and understood that old and well-aged whiskies offer something special and are often best appreciated in terms of their relativity or comparison to younger whiskies. You can’t really appreciate what’s different or unique about a 40yo whisky unless you tasted a younger 12 or 15yo dram before it. I confess to having a few older bottles of whisky open at home right now. If I walk in the door after a long, hard day at work, and immediately pour myself a (say) 30yo whisky, I’ve noticed that I’m often underwhelmed by the experience. However, if I have a 12yo whisky first, and then try the 30yo, suddenly the older bottling is singing and shining in all its glory.
Such a philosophy and methodology is therefore needed and should be applied accordingly when attending a whisky show or expo tasting event. To condense this into a simple list of pointers, I present herewith the official tips on how to play it right:
- Plan your journey before you start. The first trick is to bring a pen with you. Typically at most events, you’ll receive the tasting list (i.e. what’s available to try) or an exhibitors list when you arrive and register. As you’re sipping your welcome dram or waiting in the queue, peruse the list and circle or mark the whiskies that you’re interested in and want to try.
- Plot your course. Perhaps divide or categorise your selected whiskies into three sections: Introductory or beginning whiskies; middle or intermediate whiskies; and finally, whiskies to finish with. (More on this further below)
- Number your drams in precisely the order you intend to taste them in. If your whisky passport or voucher booklet has 12 tickets for you to redeem, (or say you’ve elected to limit your focus to 12 drams), then number your preferred whiskies from 1 to 12 and head to the exhibitors’ tables in that order. Base your order strongly on the principle of starting with the lighter style whiskies; moving through to the medium-weight drams; and then finishing with the big, robust, pungent belters. (Again, more on this further below)
- Don’t return to a whisky and get a second dram of something you’ve already tried. For starters, you’ve wasted the opportunity to try something different and new. Secondly, you might be denying someone else in the room the chance to try that whisky. (The more popular bottlings do run out at these events!)
- Spit. It’s cool to use a spittoon at a whisky event. It’s not cool to stagger to one of the stands towards the end of the event and slur your words or drop your glass. Or drop yourself. Judicious use of a spittoon allows you to taste more whiskies; to go the distance; appreciate the flavours; make good decisions about what to try and when; and to judge which whiskies you liked or disliked. Spittooning is also good for the hosts behind the table: From an exhibitor’s point of view, it’s a delight to share a whisky’s story with interested, sober punters. They’ll give you more love; maybe even pour you a dram of the secret stuff that might be hidden under the table. But it’s a chore and a burden to respond to stupid questions or aimless banter with a mug who’s had far too much and thinks he’s Billy Connolly.
- Give due regard to which whiskies may be popular and might be at risk of being exhausted early. There’s a good chance that everyone else in the room will also probably want to taste the really expensive $500 bottling or the exceptionally rare Japanese offering (for example), and – in spite of everything I’ve said above – you’ll need to employ a bit of strategy or flexibility on the day to time your visit to the tables serving these whiskies. Otherwise, you might arrive at the end of the session and find the two or three bottles allocated to the event have already been poured out and finished.
- Seek advice from the hosts at each stand; be prepared and willing to listen to their guidance. Many hosts might be serving two seemingly similar, yet still different drams at their stand. Tell them the dram you’ve just finished and ask them which of the two they’re serving that would best follow what you just tried.
- Drink lots of water during the session. Each time you finish a dram, head straight to the water station and then fill and drink from your tasting glass twice before heading off for your next dram. The first fill serves to wash out the preceding dram so that its footprint doesn’t impact the next one, and the second fill is so as to stay hydrated and fresh.
So, with reference to the second point above, the only skill or knowledge you need then is to identify how to split the whiskies into the three categories (beginning, middle, and finishing drams) so that you optimise your tasting order on the day. One could write an entire book or paper on this subject, but the following are the very basic pointers: (And, yes, the list is not exhaustive, and there are exceptions to every rule). However……
Beginning whiskies: Younger whiskies (say, 11 years or less); refill bourbon-cask whiskies; and Lowland/Speyside whiskies. Avoid sherried drams or anything peaty.
Middle whiskies: Well-aged whiskies fit this category well (e.g. 18 years or more); 1st Fill bourbon casks; Highland or Island malts; fruity/spicy whiskies. Refill sherry casks or lightly sherried drams should round out / end this category.
Finishing whiskies: Heavily sherried whiskies (e.g 1st Fill butts); and anything smoky / peaty. (Don’t assume all Islay malts are heavily peated – Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain both produce unpeated whisky!).
Employ the above strategy and you’ll get so much more out of the event. Your palate will stay fresher for longer and not get weighed down or overwhelmed too early; you’ll be better equipped to taste and appreciate the subtleties of each bottling; and you’ll enjoy the flavours and experiences available. When I’m planning & presenting a traditional sit-down, masterclass-style tutored tasting, I agonise over the tasting order and work hard to plan and get it right. At a whisky expo event, it’s all up to you!
Slainte,
AD
PS: If you’re interested in a discussion on what makes a whisky show good or bad, you might enjoy this article: Whisky festivals – the show must go on.
Wise advice!
I could have done well to read this before attending a few events. Enjoyed the whiskey – but couldn’t read my notes nor remember clearly what the name of that fabulous dram was!