Wondering what to do at a whisky tasting event or how to plan for it? Read on…
{But first: There are two versions of this article – one specifically for Australian readers, and one for international readers. This is the Australian version – if you’d like to read the international version, click here}
Heading off to a whisky show soon? Good for you! For too many years, Australians were starved of the opportunity to attend whisky expo events. We’d all hear and read about the amazing Whisky Live events overseas, or even the epic DramFest in New Zealand, but it’s only relatively recently in Australia that these events are becoming regular attractions in most of the capital cities.
(For those who like a bit of history, the first true expo event in Australia was in Canberra in 2003 as part of the Australian Malt Whisky Convention, organised by the MWSoA. That was a biennial event that was then repeated in Sydney in 2005 and Melbourne in 2007. After a hiatus, it returned in Adelaide in 2013. Whisky Live arrived on the scene in Sydney in 2009, where it was joined a year or two later by The Whisky Fair, followed by The Whisky Show in 2012. Other local organisations have joined the party, such as the QMWS hosting their expo in Brisbane since 2011. More recently, The Whisky Show spread its wings to Melbourne, and of course, Whisky Live has now been a nationwide roadshow in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane for the last few years. And, whilst their scale is much, much smaller and limited to their own label, let’s not forget the “Steps to Heaven” or “Extravaganza” tastings put on by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society around the country since 2009). More recently, independent events such as Whisky Freedom (Perth) and Whisky & Dreams (Melbourne) have added to the scene.)
The point is, most Aussie whisky enthusiasts can now attend an expo-style event in their capital city. I recently reflected on how many different articles I’d written over the years (mostly for SMWS publications) 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 tasting event. 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 these events 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 and are 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 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 a rare 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. Turn up at any of Australia’s wineries 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 and throw this accepted wisdom out the window. I’ve 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 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 or in the lead up to the event. 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.
