Whisky is like Sudoku. Or, depending on which pursuit you got involved with first, Sudoku is just like whisky. Sound a bit far-fetched? The two have more in common than you think…
Contrary to its appearance, Sudoko is not a maths puzzle or an exercise in arithmetic. Despite the array of numbers and a crossword-like pattern, it’s merely a logic puzzle based on nothing more than elimination. The puzzle is solved by eliminating incorrect possibilities as you fill in the blanks. Sudoku’s similarity with whisky becomes apparent when you look at the journey an individual goes on as they transition from novice to expert.
We’ll paint the analogy by looking at Sudoko first, and then join the dots as we compare it to the journey of discovery most drinkers embark on when they start taking whisky seriously.
Sudoku puzzles can be extremely easy or extremely difficult, depending on how much of the grid is pre-filled in for you. When you start out as a novice and can attempt only the easy-grade puzzles, there are no special tricks to learn or employ, and no need to keep track of “possibles”. A cursory glance, simple observation, and deducing is all that is needed. It’s the equivalent of being introduced to whisky via a simple, unchallenging blend at 40% ABV that is pleasant and enjoyable for you…but you don’t yet know what else is out there, and you’re happy with what you know.
As Sudoku puzzles get harder, there is less information to work with. There are too many gaps and unknowns in the grid. Suddenly, the techniques and strategies you got by with when solving the Easy puzzles are no longer enough. To solve the Medium and Hard puzzles, you actually need to learn new techniques and do a bit of training if you are to progress anywhere. And thus, just like whisky, you dive into a world that is known only to those who have also immersed themselves in the culture. You become familiar with terms and techniques known as naked pairs and hidden triples. You have an understanding and speak a language that not everyone knows or appreciates.
The process is similar in whisky: When you first sip and get into whisky, you merely recognise and enjoy a generic whisky taste. You’re aware that, for example, some whiskies are sweet; some are grassy; and some are smoky. But, through continued training (i.e. drinking) and research/teaching, you learn and experience that whisky is matured in different types of casks (e.g. ex-bourbon and ex-sherry) and in different types of wood, e.g. American oak and European oak. In the early days of your journey, it’s unlikely you’ll immediately recognise or easily discern these. But, with time and experience, you’re able to nose a dram and say with confidence, “Yes, there is some sherry influence in this,” or “The vanilla and pineapple on the nose of this whisky tells me it’s from a 1st fill bourbon cask”.
You’ll also no doubt have started to dabble in higher-strength whiskies – whiskies bottled at 46%, 50%, and eventually cask-strength whiskies, possibly as high as 65% or more. Your palate is now trained and comfortable in enjoying whisky at this strength, where once it was not something you found overly pleasant. Your palate might now even be able to detect whether or not a whisky has been chill-filtered. By now, you’ve also probably learned a few tasting tricks along the way. Like learning how to read the bubbles in a shaken glass to estimate the ABV; or learning to discern where the heat concentrates on your palate to estimate a whisky’s age. You’re also probably starting to get proficient at blind tastings and recognising/identifying a whisky’s provenance or other unique aspects of its maturation.
Sudoku then reaches the Expert level. Again, you need to learn and be shown new techniques if you are to solve the seemingly impossible. You learn about things called x-wing and swordfish; and you can actually spot a hidden quad! You’re at the top of your game. And, in all likelihood, there is no appeal or attraction in looking backwards and trying an Easy puzzle.
Again, there is the equivalent level in whisky. You’re now at a stage where you almost exclusively drink cask-strength whisky – in fact, 40% ABV bottlings hold little appeal to you anymore. (A sad and unfortunate place to be, if you allow this to occur. You should read the articles “Cask-strength blues” and “40% whisky – friend or foe?” to explore this further and take care to avoid the pitfalls.)
At this expert level of whisky appreciation, you get particularly excited about single-cask releases. Not only can you pick a sherry-matured whisky, but you can confidently detect whether the sherry was fino, oloroso, or PX. In fact, you can be presented with a single cask, 1st fill sherry bomb and you can confidently tell whether the oak was quercus alba or quercus robur. Your palate is a walking hydrometer capable of detecting the ABV within +/- 1%, and your nose and palate can discern “age”. You can read and interpret the viscosity of the legs in your glass; you can taste/detect E150 when it’s present; you can even detect when a whisky has TCA. (And, for the uninitiated or for those who don’t have the olfactory capabilities, it’s far more common than you think).
Sudoku shares another trait with whisky, although it’s an aspect that’s a little uncomfortable to discuss or admit. The skills needed to solve and reach expert level of Sudoku require a certain brain wiring that not all people possess. It requires the ability to apply multiple layers of logic and it requires a level of spatial awareness and interpretation; the ability to “see through” rows, columns, and blocks. At the risk of making a gross generalisation, these are skills and talents commonly associated with left-brained people. In short, it’s a vaguely scientific way of stating that not everyone will be capable of reaching the top.
Similarly, expert-level whisky tasting (or the expert appreciation of any category of food and beverage) requires particular anatomical minimums and a certain level of sensory perception that not everyone is blessed with. For example, if you have a poor sense of smell, you’ll struggle with detecting the subtle nuances or features previously discussed. Likewise, some people have a genetic blind spot to sulphur, which no amount of training will overcome. (For more on this subject and the use of and influence of sulphur in whisky, read this article here).
That’s not to say that you should despair or give up – either with whisky or sudoku – nor is it to imply that there is some higher level of illuminati or secret club that is only for the elite few. It’s simply an unfortunate reality that we’re all unique individuals and we’re born with different natural talents and capabilities. Just because you can look at nine squares in a row at once and pick a missing number in a tenth of a second doesn’t mean the next person can. And just because you can clearly smell and identify peat phenols in a whisky at 10 parts per million doesn’t mean the person next to you will be as capable. Some whisky commentators would do well to remember this. All that’s important is that you enjoy your dram.
Ultimately, whisky and Sudoku share one final commonality: They’re both an enjoyable pastime. And, best of all, you can do both at the same time.
Cheers,
AD
Hi Andrew,
I love many drams, and delight in cracking fiendish Sudokus, so I related to your message here about the commonalities. Yes there is a wonderful journey of learning and discovery, and practice, to hone those insights and skills. I also think there are parallels in all sorts of activities where people have to learn new thinking styles, develop some ‘neural plasticity’. I see that in aviation, teaching people to operate in a 3D world when 2D techniques are not enough or are even just plain wrong. It is a joy to see people in the air develop their new thinking skills and levels of ‘situational awareness’; to see them comprehend what they know and have recently learned and be able to extend it into unfamiliar circumstances. Building from good foundations is so important, and in whisky I often find that peoples’ memories triggered by the sense of smell, awareness of different aromas, brings great inighs and enjoyment. We have a key role in helping people develop a good nosing and tasting technique, guiding their discovery of their own memories of aromas and flavours. Sometimes we have to be more explicit in guiding people to percieve the little things that bring real understaning and insight – just like Sudoku, and flying, and other complex skill sets. SMFSLT: So much fun, so little time!