Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

What do you drink, and how do you drink it?

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MichiganCornhusker
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

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
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.

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.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by jedneck »

I am trying to quit my Copenhagen habit(been 6 days now). I can already notice a major improvement in my palette. Another reason to quit.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by bitter »

This is really interesting....

Some people will have better sense from others.... Smoking can dull things.. but don't let that fool you a lot of chefs smoke... and they can taste things pretty darn well.

I find I taste more in certain whiskeys than others. Also varies from dy to day.. Allergy season makes things harder. So will a cold.

I have never liked most scotch.. I find the peat smoke is overwhelming and the finish of the peat is not liking to me.

I get sweet, caramel, vanillas, dried fruit, apple, clove and pepper.. flavors from most the whiskey I like the best. I am questing for these flavors in my own.. but going to take time..

I mixed up some UJSSM and put 1 tsp of Maple syrup in 1l well I was surprise I could smell it.. but not taste the maple. I Then added 1 tsp of caramel. I was surprised how much 1 Tsp adds to the flavour. I added a second and it was just right. Trying to make a Canadian Whiskey clone from my UJSSM (about %10-%20 rye flakes in the UJSSM). Its workign out pretty nice... just need more vanilla. It has as much Vanilla as Gibson finest gold... but not as much as the Rare.

Also my stuff is young. I think as I get more stock.. things will be closer. I eally want a barrel but using 1G jugs with oak sticks for aging right now.

One very important thing when developing your whiskey pallet.. to me is the glass. I want a glencairn whiskey glass but I use a glowsch glass but it does not come in small enough...

Put Ice in your whiskey and it closes it down so can't taste as well... I also like a bit of water and find mine opens up about 36-38% for my nose and taste buds.. at 45% i get more flavor but harder to pick out the different flavor profiles.

One my friends is a chef and he has helped me a lot with training me to pickup things. Tasting it and making the connection between the tastes and separating them takes practice. Also being drunk.. your not going to taste things the same. best to do your tasting when sober... and also soda crackers to clear your pallet helped me a lot.

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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

bitter wrote:One my friends is a chef and he has helped me a lot with training me to pickup things. Tasting it and making the connection between the tastes and separating them takes practice.
I don't know why, but I can miss the most obvious things when I'm tasting whiskey.
Last night I was sitting with a chef and chatting about life in general when he told me he can't stand the taste of bananas. Hates 'em. And this guy cooks and eats anything.
He likes bourbon, but really dislikes Jack Daniels Gentleman Jack. We tried some at the bar, and while I was stumbling around trying to describe what I thought I was tasting in in it he says "banana bread", and just like that I could pick out the obvious smell and taste of the bananas.
We also tried another brand that tasted like bananas in a different way, more like cooked caramalized bananas, and he was ok with that one. Something about a flavor in raw bananas, an almost chemical taste, that goes away when cooked.

Funny how tastes can affect people so differently. I know there are people on here that love the taste of bananas so much that they are making banana shine, and here is a guy that can't stand the flavor even as a component in his whiskey.

I did confess that one of the few things that I haven't been able to acquire a taste for yet is blood sausage. I keep trying, but there is a sharp mineral taste that I can't get past. He has offered to make me a sausage that will change my impressions, looking forward to trying it.

Oh, and Jed, quit the chew! Your spirits are way too interesting and too damn good and tasty to be missing out on! I'm looking forward to sitting down and taking some time to focus on them more, and try to better understand them all at Jedfest. Cheers!
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by CR33G3R »

I just downloaded that wheel (thanks)
While too busy to do much distilling this summer I was able to travel with coworkers that like me were also drinkers.
I was able to drink allot of top shelf bourbon and whiskey this summer. We would do blind taste test and try to pick out what we liked and what we didn't.
They all thought that I had a great pallet and knowledge of what we were drinking and I on the other hand thought I have so far to go.
I do think that it was good for my pallet to try so many top shelf drinks
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by jedneck »

MichiganCornhusker wrote: Oh, and Jed, quit the chew! Your spirits are way too interesting and too damn good and tasty to be missing out on! I'm looking forward to sitting down and taking some time to focus on them more, and try to better understand them all at Jedfest. Cheers!
I sampled all 4 of my malted corn/wheat and rye this weekend. With another year under my belt im really looking forward to expand my palate.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by Tuga79 »

Sorry to dig up an old topic but it seamed the best place. Searching the forum I didn't find any information regarding this product:

http://www.whisky-academy.com/nosing_kit/index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Does anyone have experience with this nosing kit? Is it worth the investment?
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by Bushman »

Those are expensive and a lot of them are used more by product salesman or people in the profession. I was looking for but didn't find a picture of the best one I have ever seen and it was on a round board divided into different pie shaped sections, herbs, fruit, etc.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

Thanks for posting, Tuga79, that looks like a very interesting kit.
I was just talking with a friend last week about the possibility of using some of the kits available to people studying to become a cicerone.

As Bushman says, pretty pricey, but I would think something like this would be very helpful for developing the ability to pick out smells and flavors in spirits.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by MDH »

As I understand they actually use such kits for "nose" or "palate" insurance that is offered to some winemakers in order to benchmark and verify their abilities. A socalled "Super taster" - which is some small percent of the human population - should be able to detect esters, thiols etc in much scarcer quantities in a given volume of liquid.

I had a laugh when I read that whisky-blender Richard Paterson has his nose insured for over $2,000,000. What a guy.
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by buflowing »

Speaking of kits (and expensive), check this out....

http://timbercreekdistillery.com/first- ... nding-kit/

Pick one up MCH. I'll drive over and help you check it out. :mrgreen:
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by MichiganCornhusker »

buflowing wrote:Pick one up MCH. I'll drive over and help you check it out. :mrgreen:
Ha, how 'bout we save our money and each make 2, then get together! :wave:
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by buflowing »

Got that right. But I think we'd rightfully spend most of our time and taste buds sampling and comparing the individual spirits. Homework, right? When blending, I find it takes a lot of patience and careful note taking to blend and taste the results as it needs time for the spirits to react and equilibrate. Not going to happen in a day or over a weekend. Complicating things, the starting spirits and the blend are continuously evolving, so the whole proses (respect to dndrhead) is difficult to track and make sense of.

It would be nice to have a like minded trusted stiller nearby to readily interact with. How many of you guys/gals out there have that opportunity?
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by ShineonCrazyDiamond »

I am fortunate and blessed to have a great member within 10 minutes of me. Met him through an S3 meeting list year. See him every weekend or other weekend. One of us is usually mashing one while the other is running theirs. Makes for a nice brew day.

He's going with me to a homebrew competition this weekend. Wish my beer luck!
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by buflowing »

ShineonCrazyDiamond wrote:I am fortunate and blessed to have a great member within 10 minutes of me. Met him through an S3 meeting list year. See him every weekend or other weekend. One of us is usually mashing one while the other is running theirs. Makes for a nice brew day.

He's going with me to a homebrew competition this weekend. Wish my beer luck!
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Re: Tasting Spirits - Developing a Palate

Post by Prawnstarr13 »

I agree that I'm either insensitive or overwhelmed, my favourite thing is corn straight off the still which tastes corny and sweet or all grain heavy pleated single malt but other than the smoke I can barely make out much else out I know I like it though.
I have put sweetfeed through and no matter what I add or mix it with the molasses overwhelms it (potstilling btw)
I have not run now in months and still have more than enough in stock aging, that just doesn't get drunk.
I and not happy with cuts and honestly could not tell you whether that is the problem.
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