Whisky Education: Two Great Resources

Hi there to all again. My apologies for the lack of updating on the blog this week, will try not to let this blog become mothballed especially since it's infancy. I have a few nice tasting notes coming up this week, including a Cask Strength Laphoraig (2nd Bottling) and a Welsh Whisky the Penderyn Madeira Cask. I will also hopefully get the write up on the board for Fine Spirits @ La Maison Du Whisky, as well as The Highlander Bar Asia.


But today, I would like to highlight two fantastic resources for all budding whisky lovers out there, be it whether you are from Singapore or anywhere around the globe!

1. Flavour Wheels

The Scotch Whisky Society Flavour Wheel

For all us beginning on our route to whisky discovery, we all want a nice, compact, yet decently professional way of guiding us on how to nose and taste whiskies. It is, ultimately, to my mind, one of the main enjoyments of whisky. The Scotch Whisky Society Flavour Wheel is a very comprehensive and very well laid out set of whisky notes, put in distinct categories for us to identify the major characteristics we get when nosing and tasting a whisky. I personally find it helpful as it includes examples of the flavours which help not only subdivide the flavours, but also to relate to any of the notes we have encountered in our lives.

The Scotch Whisky Research Institute Whisky Flavour Wheel

For those of us a bit more into the science of it all, the Scotch Whisky Research Institute Whisky Flavour Wheel delves into more technical terms, but also helps understand which flavours are created during specific parts of the whisky production process.

2. The Balvenie Whisky Academy

For those of us who prefer a more visua form of learning, The Balvenie distillery has come up with a set of 34 instructional videos on whisky, broken into 4 modules: The History of Scotch Malt Whisky, Scotch Malt Whisky Production, Whisky Nitty-Gritty and Nosing and Tasting. 

For my money, this is pretty much one of the most comprehensive video guides to the world of whisky I know of. It is informative, broken down into short and succinct lessons, and is a great step-by-step guide to everything one needs to know regarding whisky (at least at a basic level!).

To access the website though, one needs to be a member of Warehouse 24 of The Balvenie Distillery. All one needs to do is the follow

1) Go to the Balvenie Website: www.thebalvenie.com

2) Register for Warehouse 24

3) Click on the Whisky Academy page and start viewing!

Hope these two resources will go a long way in helping people with their whisky education!