From a lover to an expert

[Jodokusardbeg]

Hello whisky friends,

My name is patrick strik,41 y old and a Dutch native.

I have been a whisky lover 4 over 20 years. Fallen 4 the life water when i was fitting 4 a kilt to get maried in. my mother is a scottish lass

I fell in love after my firt taste of glenfiddich 12 and i never looked back.
I have 2 whisky barrel bars in the living room and yes still maried

I love heavely peated whisky and i am starting to collect whisky's from all over scotland and ireland. I also collect wbisky glassware.

I would love to become an expert and not only an novice.

Could you guys give me some tips on how to achieve my goal and which whisky's are an absolute must to try.

Thanks in advance.

Pat

[Crane]

Hi Patrick and welcome to the SMW Forum.

You are probably more of a whisky expert than you think after 20 years of drinking it.

If you are a fan of heavily peated whisky then must try whiskies are whisky from Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig, are you familiar with their core range of whiskies.

[Jodokusardbeg]

[thelastdram]

When I first started to drink whisky I would find tasting notes and sit with them whilst drinking it, tbh I couldn't get the same smells, tastes etc as the notes. Then when I looked a lot of tasting notes are different depending on reviewer (obv apart from sherry monster or like ardbeg which is very peaty so the flavours, smells are strong and obv ) then it's all about your own tastes and what you like

Some whiskys I still struggle with what I can taste and like yourself only know wether I like it or not

[thelastdram]

When I first started to drink whisky I would find tasting notes and sit with them whilst drinking it, tbh I couldn't get the same smells, tastes etc as the notes. Then when I looked a lot of tasting notes are different depending on reviewer (obv apart from sherry monster or like ardbeg which is very peaty so the flavours, smells are strong and obv ) then it's all about your own tastes and what you like

Some whiskys I still struggle with what I can taste and like yourself only know wether I like it or not

[Jodokusardbeg]

[gfspencer]

Try a lot of different Scotches and take notes.

[opelfruit]

What type of glass do you use?

I ask because a lot of people.use tumblers. They're total rubbish if you want to actually get any sort of nose.

Using a tulip glass like a Glencairn or Copita makes a big difference. In fact, getting a Glencairn years back totally transformed my drinking experience.
_________________
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whisky is barely enough."

[Jodokusardbeg]

[sorren]

Welcome to the forum..
Something I do to get down to the more subtle notes is.. Get two glasses ( glencairn) in my case, pour a good measure into one only.. Swirl the whisky round gently for around 20-30 seconds then pour it into the second glass, wait 30 seconds or so then sniff the empty glass.. Then the one with whisky in.. You will find a lot more aromas in the empty glass, but you have less burn from Alchol vapour.. This does not always work but when it does the aromas are wonderful .. Hope this helps a little👍

[Jodokusardbeg]