Whisky Education: The Scotch Whisky Aroma Nosing Kit
When browsing through the plethora of tasting notes of whisky that have been released by whisky lovers the world over, be it casual drinkers or expert tasters, one of the major components that are ever-present, is the nose. How a whisky smells contributes immensely to a person's perception of what is in the whisky, and what he/she should expect, and it is in many ways a crucial skill should anyone want to embark on the road of whisky appreciation.
However, this aspect of whisky appreciation is one that seems daunting, and people do feel that it is somewhat inaccessible. For one, Scotch whisky has a minimum alcoholic percentage of 40% by law, and that means that one of the main aromas that is present in any whisky is the aggressive hit of alcohol. That alone is enough to scare people off. Secondly, the aromas that are picked up by Whisky experts sound almost impossible to decipher, let alone detect! Here are some of the tasting notes from the world's experts:
Serge Valentin: One of the leading Whisky writers today, he is able to spot notes of soot, tar, medicine, ash, wet dog, camphor, graphite oil, hessian and plain sea water all in one whisky.
Jim Murray: Describes the nose of a whisky as 'medium roast, un-ground Blue Mountain coffee beans merging blissfully with a super-rich Dundee cake maagnificently beyond its sell by date and all topped with... nutty oloroso of the highest order'
With an almost insurmountable lexicon of aromas and such daunting acts to follow, one can be forgiven for being scared off. However, the truth is, flavour and smell are inextricably linked, and it is imperative that one's sense of smell work in tandem with one's taste buds in order to discover the fullest joys of whisky.
So why do we need to nose a whisky?
The answer is pretty scientific. The senses of nose and taste are interconnected, and in many ways, they depend on each other for the recognition of flavours. In fact, studies have shown it is the nose that is the main receptor of flavours and aromas, making a strong case for the nose being the dominant sense when it comes to flavours.
The human tongue is only capable of experience the four basic flavours of sweet, sour, bitter and salty (a fifth being umami, which is stimulated by MSG). This basically means that almost everything else is detected by the nose. When consuming food and drinks, we simultaneously inhale its vapours through our nasal passages and these in turn are recognized as part of the flavour of the food by our brains. This pretty much explains why when we have a blocked nose, food basically tastes of nothing!
This applies as well to whisky and its appreciation and consumption. Flavour profiles of whiskies are largely dependent on our sense of smell. Just try tasting a whisky with a blocked nose. I remember attending a Glenmorangie and Ardbeg tasting where my nose gradually started getting blocked and by the end of it, the Glenmorangie 10YO had actually more flavour than the 10YO Ardbeg simply because my nose was not blocked when I drank the Glenmorangie, but was totally blocked by the time I got to the Ardbeg.
The Nosing Kit
So how does one start on a journey towards whisky aroma appreciation? There are several ways but if one wants to find a kit that specifically trains a person step by step, such resources are quite limited. It is here that The Scotch Whisky Aroma Nosing Kit comes in. Designed by Alan Gordon (one of the bigwigs in scotchwhisky.net) and George Dodd (An Aroma Science expert), this kit is aimed at fulfilling its main goal, to make whoever uses it a whisky aroma expert, because such experts are not born, they are made. In essence, it is a whisky appreciation tool designed to help anyone discover the joys of whisky.
The Aroma Kit is also intuitive as it is effective. It comprises of 24 bottles of liquid that have distinct notes of 24 common aromas you get in whiskies. From the classic fruity, malty and smoky to the slightly rarer decay and ethereal, these aromas have been isolated and infused with alcohol much like a perfume. The result is a comprehensive 'living dictionary' of how common aromas actually smell like on their own. One interesting thing is that the aromas peaty, phenolic and smoky are all separated, and this shows that whilst there is a tendency to use these descriptors interchangeably, there are subtle differences to their actual aromas.
Coming along with the kit is a comprehensive booklet on how to use this kit, be it for one's own use or for others, and how to properly leverage on it to improve one's sense of smell. A detailed explanation for each aroma also gives valuable insight into what may be the cause of such aromas as well as what people usually refer such aromas to. The book also ends with a guide on how to properly nose whiskies, making it very much a one stop kit for most whisky appreciation needs. The kit also comes with a small record sheet to record one’s own notes for whiskies tasted based on the 24 aromas in the kit.
Of course this is far from the only way to train one’s nose to recognise aromas, but when it comes to a kit that is designed for this sole purpose, this is a really valuable and well thought out resource. Be it for your own personal enjoyment or for trainings for staff or just a bit of fun with your mates, SGwhisky does feel this Nosing Kit is a pretty handy aroma tool! So if you want to start your personal journey or kick start someone else’s journey towards whisky appreciation, why not give this a shot? You might find yourself being a whisky aroma expert in no time!
Found At: The Scotch Whisky Aroma Nosing Kit can be purchased from Stewart’s Whisky Consultancy at $250 a kit. For more details contact Stewart’s Whisky at enquiries@stewartswhisky.com.
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