![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lukerymarz.com\/ratingpending\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/WhiskyReview.jpg\" "\\"WhiskyReview\\"")
<\/a>I like to experience everything a whisky has to offer. This includes packaging, the distillery website, and other people’s experiences of the whisky (including tasting notes, but also by sharing the whisky with others when I can). My experience with a specific whisky usually starts before I buy it. I’ll hear about it from a friend, from Ralfy<\/a>, or on a blog somewhere. I will sometimes look at the distillery website before buying the whisky, but I usually end up exploring the website after purchase (I am usually a bit frustrated with the heavyweight marketing on distillery websites).<\/p>\nI will rarely buy a whisky on impulse. If I do, it is usually a cheap blended whisky that is on sale.<\/p>\n
My tasting notes are the result of two sets of steps. The first is the “bottle break in” where I get to know the whisky, and the second is the creation of tasting notes and a rating.<\/p>\n
Bottle Break-in<\/h3>\n\n- Discover the whisky – usually on the internet, sometimes through a friend, sometimes in-store when one is on sale.<\/li>\n
- Decide to buy the whisky. This decision is usually based on some combination of price and perceived quality (from reading\/watching reviews).<\/li>\n
- Once purchased, a whisky will usually stay on my shelf for a number of month before it feels like the time to open it. My perception of the whisky can change in this time.<\/li>\n
- Decide to open the whisky.<\/li>\n
- Experience the packaging. This does not change the taste, but it can change my expectations and perception.\n
\n- The box<\/li>\n
- The bottle<\/li>\n
- Pack-ins<\/li>\n
- Possibly the distillery website (in the case of Laphroaig<\/a>, for example, every bottle comes with points you can redeem on their website).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Open the bottle, pour a glass, take a picture. I am a relatively skilled hobby photographer, and like to take a nice picture of the whisky for later.<\/li>\n
- Enjoy the whisky without writing anything down.<\/li>\n
- Continue enjoying the whisky for a few weeks (or months, in some cases) until I feel comfortable enough with it to create tasting notes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Writing Tasting Notes<\/h3>\nI decide to create tasting notes when I feel comfortable with the whisky or feel that I won’t get anything else out of it (in the case of poorer quality whiskies). This is arbitrary and will change as I get better at tasting. My process when creating tasting notes is as such:<\/div>\n\n\n- Pour a glass of the whisky.<\/li>\n
- Prepare my tasting notes. I have a template \u00a0that I fill in with things like the name, age, alcohol percentage, purchase date, and other information.<\/li>\n
- As a part of preparing my notes, I observe the color. I use the following chart (a slightly edited version of a common amber scale):
\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/lukerymarz.com\/whisky\/amber.jpg\" "\\"Color")
<\/a><\/li>\n- Without water, nose the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Without water, taste the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Observe the finish of the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Add distilled water as appropriate.<\/li>\n
- With water, nose the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- With water, taste the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Observe any changes in the finish.<\/li>\n
- Decided on a rating. Usually by the time I have tasted the whisky with water, I have decided on a range for the rating. I review my notes and then finalize my rating.<\/li>\n
- Write a conclusion. Generally just any thoughts I have about the whisky. A lot of the time I think about how the whisky compares to others, and if it is really worth the price to me.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
- \n
- The box<\/li>\n
- The bottle<\/li>\n
- Pack-ins<\/li>\n
- Possibly the distillery website (in the case of Laphroaig<\/a>, for example, every bottle comes with points you can redeem on their website).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n
- Open the bottle, pour a glass, take a picture. I am a relatively skilled hobby photographer, and like to take a nice picture of the whisky for later.<\/li>\n
- Enjoy the whisky without writing anything down.<\/li>\n
- Continue enjoying the whisky for a few weeks (or months, in some cases) until I feel comfortable enough with it to create tasting notes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Writing Tasting Notes<\/h3>\n
I decide to create tasting notes when I feel comfortable with the whisky or feel that I won’t get anything else out of it (in the case of poorer quality whiskies). This is arbitrary and will change as I get better at tasting. My process when creating tasting notes is as such:<\/div>\n\n- \n
- Pour a glass of the whisky.<\/li>\n
- Prepare my tasting notes. I have a template \u00a0that I fill in with things like the name, age, alcohol percentage, purchase date, and other information.<\/li>\n
- As a part of preparing my notes, I observe the color. I use the following chart (a slightly edited version of a common amber scale):
\n<\/a><\/li>\n- Without water, nose the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Without water, taste the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Observe the finish of the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Add distilled water as appropriate.<\/li>\n
- With water, nose the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- With water, taste the whisky. Take notes.<\/li>\n
- Observe any changes in the finish.<\/li>\n
- Decided on a rating. Usually by the time I have tasted the whisky with water, I have decided on a range for the rating. I review my notes and then finalize my rating.<\/li>\n
- Write a conclusion. Generally just any thoughts I have about the whisky. A lot of the time I think about how the whisky compares to others, and if it is really worth the price to me.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n