In the wide world of booze, there are occasions that call for drinking — baseball games, bachelorettes, anything ending in “con” — and times that require little more than sipping. Any event touted as a tasting is a big hint that you’re in for the latter, and whiskey’s a popular spirit for just this type of fête. Social merits aside, a whiskey tasting is the best way to experience first hand how nuanced different varieties can be, expand your palate, and maybe find a new favorite booze. To maximize each of those opportunities, a whiskey tasting is also, perhaps paradoxically, the worst time to get more than a little tipsy. You want to take it slow, or risk committing the same whiskey tasting mistakes everyone makes.
Alcohol, of course, famously dulls the senses. It’s literally right there in the cliche: That end of day tipple takes the edge off. But you want to keep your wits about you to actually learn how to separate your ryes from your bourbons based on taste alone. A well-organized tasting should do a lot of the work for you via appropriate glassware and measured pours to keep a lean pace. But you should always aim to keep your own imbibing in check as well.
Tempering your tastings
Like with wine tastings, some whiskey gatherings incorporate the old sip and spit solution, which is exactly what it sounds like. It is the most obviously effective way to keep the alcohol at bay, but there are arguments on both sides of the spitoon about its impact on fully experiencing the libation under consideration. It’s also one that you should not try on the fly if literally spitting out your drink has not been broadly adopted, logistic complications the least of potential pitfalls.
Instead, make sure to drink plenty of water before you get to tasting. The few drops of water some serve in whiskey just don’t do it in this case. When you’re thirsty, you might be inclined to consume more of any liquid, even ones that are actually detrimental to hydration. Starting from ahead helps keep you from overindulging. It can also help to drink equal amounts of water to whiskey in between each new pour, which you can do to revive your palate in any case. And, as long as you’re actually getting a sufficient mouthful of the stuff to make an assessment, nobody’s going to complain if you simply ask for a lighter pour. Just be sure to hold your whiskey glass the proper way.
