Interactive learning
Build a whisky flavour vocabulary from things you already know.
Tasting notes become more useful when they move from a broad family to a specific comparison you genuinely recognise. You do not need to identify dozens of aromas. A consistent vocabulary of familiar references is more useful than forced precision.
Fruit
Citrus
lemon zest, orange peel, grapefruit
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Orchard fruit
apple, pear, quince
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Dried fruit
raisin, fig, date, sultana
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Tropical fruit
pineapple, mango, banana
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Sweet
Vanilla
vanilla pod, custard
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Caramel
caramelised sugar, toffee
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Honey
floral honey, heather honey associations
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Chocolate
milk chocolate, cocoa, dark chocolate
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Spice
Baking spice
cinnamon, clove, nutmeg
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Pepper
black pepper, white pepper
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Ginger
fresh ginger, dried ginger
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Smoke and earth
Wood smoke
bonfire, fireplace smoke
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Ash
cold ash, char
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Earth
damp soil, peat earth
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Medicinal associations
antiseptic-like or bandage-like sensory descriptions
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Cereal and malt
Malted cereal
malted grain, breakfast cereal
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Biscuit
plain biscuit, oat biscuit
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Bread
fresh dough, toast
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Wood
Fresh oak
sawn wood, pencil shaving
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Tannin
drying tea-like structure
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Toast and char
toasted wood, charred surface
Smell the reference separately, then return to the whisky. Do not place food, spices or other materials into the whisky itself.
Use broad descriptors before specific ones
If you perceive fruit but cannot decide whether it resembles apple or pear, “orchard fruit” is already a useful note. Narrow the description only when the distinction is clear to you.
Separate aroma from cause
A note such as vanilla describes a sensory association; it does not mean vanilla was added. Scotch flavour can arise from fermentation, distillation, peat, oak, previous cask contents, maturation and the interactions among them.
Explore the full flavour families · Build your tasting notes · Use a consistent tasting method