I have the Bryson book, too. It is a very interesting read, lots of history and background. In fact, I got so distracted with the stories that I haven't gotten to the tasting part yet. Looking forward to getting back to it though.WhiteDevil504 wrote:I actually have the book in the recommendations below the one Jed linked. "Tasting whiskey" by Lew Bryson It's actually pretty good but a lot of it is info I had seen on here... Worth a read for sure if you're looking for some fun reading
One thing he mentions is getting past the wall of fire. That at first it can be hard to taste spirits because all you "taste" is burn and hot and fire. Once you get used to that, your senses settle down and you can actually begin tasting the flavors. I think we have a leg up there because we can reduce the burn from heads as we distill. Even so, I remember doing a lot of wincing when I was starting out.