How To Taste Bourbon

So, you like bourbon? Of course. But do you drink bourbon, or taste it?

If you’ve never heard of tasting bourbon, then that might seem like a silly question. But there is a difference between sipping a bourbon after a hard day’s work and sipping a bourbon for the specific purpose of detecting flavors and aromas. The latter, that is tasting bourbon. And it is something you need to know how to do.

We’ll tell you exactly how to do it. Here’s a guide to go from drinking bourbon to tasting bourbon.

 

Choose the Right Glass

Choosing the right glass for your bourbon tasting is crucial to the experience. If you haven’t read our guide to whiskey glasses, then you need to learn the basics.

The kind of glass you choose matters. Small changes in a glass’s structure can dramatically change the way an alcohol interacts with the outside air. This is what provides a drinking experience unique to each whiskey and glass pairing. Complex whiskey needs room to breathe in a glass. The aeration allows each individual flavor to manifest on the nose and palate.

For tasting bourbon, you want a glass that exposes the spirit to the air while also trapping the aromas as much as possible. That is why we suggest using a Glencairn glass (pictured on right), the standard glass for whiskey tastings. This glass is designed with a bulbous body, thin rim, and short stem. It allows the drinker to swirl, sniff, and sip the bourbon, making it optimal for the tasting experience.

Before You Taste

You have your bourbon in the right glass: Now it’s time to taste, right? But before you do, here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Don’t judge a bourbon on the first sip.

Allow your palate to acclimate to the alcohol before you start picking out the flavors. Bourbon, by definition, is 40 percent alcohol by volume. That means the first sip will hit your palate too harshly for you to pick up subtle notes. Take one sip, then another. Then, on the third sip, make your judgment.

2. Learn to chew your bourbon.

We know: it sounds strange to “chew” a liquid. But this well-known practice opens the flavors of the bourbon. This enables you to better detect specific aromas and ingredients that you would not be able to otherwise. How do you do it? After taking a sip, hold the whiskey in your mouth and cover your entire tongue with it. Not only will this acclimate your palate to the alcohol, but it will warm the bourbon and release complex flavors.

3. Water is your friend.

Pour a glass of water alongside your whiskey. Water helps cleanse the palate between tastes, especially if you are tasting multiple bourbons. You want your taste buds refreshed and ready to taste deeper and more complex flavors with each tasting. That is why you want to take a sip of water after each drink of bourbon, to prevent the last taste from interfering with the next. But choose the right kind of water.

4. Low proof to high proof.

Yes, there is a specific order to tasting multiple bourbons. Start with the lower-proof whiskeys first and finish with the higher-proof whiskeys. Higher proof alcohol can burn off your ability to detect subtle flavors. So starting with the lower proof and working up to the higher proof bourbon will ensure that your taste buds can go the distance.

How to Taste Bourbon

Now you are ready. Let’s get to tasting. There are four aspects of the bourbon you want to focus on: appearance, aroma, taste, and finish. Each will give you different information about the bourbon and inform your tasting experience.

1. Look

The first aspect of the bourbon you should consider is the appearance. Hold the glass up and inspect the color. What shade is it? Is it clear or dark? If it is clearer, then it is a younger bourbon, while darker colors indicate bourbon that has been aged longer. Looking at the bourbon prepares your palate to receive the flavor, informing your senses of what to expect. 

2. Smell

No, don’t go right to sipping the bourbon. You want to smell it first. Don’t be afraid to put your nose directly in the opening of the glass and take a big sniff. Open your sinuses to all the different flavors. The aroma of a bourbon can have complex or subtle notes that prepare your palate to taste it. Again, it’s all about informing your senses. So make sure you take your time detecting as many scents as you can.

3. Taste

Before we tell you how to sip the bourbon, here’s a note: Detecting flavors is difficult at first. Many first-time tasters are overwhelmed by the experience. They think they should be sensing a certain flavor, or picking up the same flavors as everyone else around them. Let us say this clearly: Bourbon tasting is an individual experience. Your memories influence the experience you have, so open and clear your mind. Allow the words to appear, don’t force them.

So, now, you taste. Remember, you want to ignore the first and second sip. And also, chew. Take a third sip and hold it in your mouth, allowing it to coat your tongue. Make sure each region on your tongue is covered so you can sense the sour, bitter, salty, and sweet aspects of the bourbon.

4. Swallow

Now, for the finish. After chewing your bourbon, swallow. But as you do, make sure to notice the flavors that evaporate off your tongue and fill your mouth. This is called the finish, or what flavors linger from a bourbon once you swallow it. Concentrate on them. What do you taste? Does it stick around for a long time? If so, it has a long finish. However, if the flavors end quickly, then it is a short or medium finish.

 

And there you have it! You know everything you need to know to taste bourbon. Now all you need are a few glasses and a few bottles of bourbon (we recommend Booker’s or Baker’s, which are perfect for tasting). Pretty soon, you will be a regular bourbon-tasting expert.

What are your favorite bourbons to taste? Let us know in the comments below.