Whisky: The Gateway to Mindfulness (part 2)
We’ve poured a measure of whisky into a glass—now what?
In part one of our 12-step guide we primed ourselves and poured a measure of whisky. The technical term for this is a ‘dram’, which translates to just the right amount you feel comfortable with in this moment. Yes, one could find a specific measure for a dram—but that’s precisely beside the point.
Now that we have whisky in our glass, we can have a taste of it yes?
Oh hohoho. Heavens no.
Not yet.
How to Drink Whisky (in 12 steps)
Genuinely: the gateway to mindfulness.
5. Admire the colour
Don’t just look at it—admire it.
The colour of a whisky hints as to where it’s come from, how old it is, and what it might taste like.
We could get technical here, but I’m still vaguely trying to ‘trojan horse’ a deeper message about how we approach and relate to complexity. Going down the rabbit hole of wood types or cask sizes doesn’t quite help my cause.
Now: hold your whisky up to the light and see how it refracts. How might you describe the colour you see? Is it deep gold, pale straw, tawny or more of a burnt umber? Generally speaking: the lighter the colour, the more youthful and spritely the whisky is. The darker: the more mature.
Some whiskies were placed into casks before you and I were born. What does this mean? Nothing in particular. But it does beckon us to think about time itself being one of the ingredients that make a whisky.
Are we consuming time—or is time consuming us? What is time? Who are I?Or rather: who am we?
These are the types of questions that awaken to us when we begin to appreciate complexity.
6. Swirl the glass
This is partly theatrics and limbering up, but mostly about sensing the viscosity of the whisky and readying it for our nosing. This is where we get to pretend to be a sophisticated adult who knows what they are doing.
With a partially open upward palm, lightly swirl your glass so that the whisky coats the sides. Watch closely for how the whisky ‘clings’ to the glass. If the whisky is on the light side it will have a lot of ‘legs’ that run down the sides of the glass. If the whisky is heavier bodied it might show more of an ‘oily’ characteristic, leaving subtle tidal marks (like glassy horizons).
7. Nose it at waist height
After admiring the texture of the whisky, continue swirling at waist height. Then, breathing through your nose, see what you might notice.
Depending on the type of glass, it may be that you don’t quite detect anything yet. That’s okay—raise it to chest height and continue. Close your eyes and attune to your sense of smell. What can you detect?
At this stage, you will likely detect the broad strokes of the olfactory experience—the sweetness, spiciness and/or smokiness.
Many people rush headfirst into the nosing, burying their snout deep into the glass to inhale the (harsh) aldehydic ethers. Don’t be that fool. The way you are holding the glass and the time you are taking to swirl it with your palm is helping to ‘warm’ the whisky. This warming helps to release away more of the ethers, and gives your sense of smell time to properly attune.
8. Nose at lip height
Now we bring the glass to our lips. Not to sip—(not yet!)—but instead: to continue to ‘nose’ the whisky. To breathe in the complexity and nuance.
At this stage you want to breathe in with your nose and out with your mouth. Your breaths are deep but not exaggerated. At each inhale you want to ‘snag’ a sense of things—holding the aromatic sample in your sinus cavity whilst exhaling the air itself (removing the whisky glass from your lip as you do breathe out).
When holding these aromatic samples, we ask: what are we noticing? There are two main elements to be mindful of.
First: the smell itself. Are we picking up woody notes? Winey notes? Grainy, grassy or fruity notes? What, exactly, are we smelling here? It’s impossible to say, of course, for this is a complex and highly subjective experience. But still: we can paint a constellation. We can call out the notes it’s almost like. And—just like a dot-to-dot puzzle—we can start to form a picture.
Distinction is the key. What is it, and what is it not? Tease out the nuance. Coax its secrets—gently, slowly. Say it smells fruity. Well now: what kind of fruity? Are we talking freshly cut citrus or under-ripe apple? Or is it more like raisins or figs? Or maybe we are detecting some tinned pineapple—and yes! We can smell the tin, too.
The second thing to be mindful of is the nostalgia. The ‘olfactory memory’ in many of us is quite strong. A note detected can transport us back in time—and this is part of the magic of whisky.
If you find yourself in good company, part of the joy of a shared experience is in the sharing of what we are noticing—and to hear of what others notice too. This enriches our perspective and experience.
When comparing tasting notes, you’ll find that new things ‘awaken’ to you.
Speaking of tasting—we are now ready to take our first sip.
» Conclude Your Adventure in Part Three
I’m on some fool quest to share 50 insights in 50 days. This is day 4. More at drjasonfox.com
