How to Drink Scotch Whisky Like a Boss

Visitors at The Borders Distillery often ask us what the proper way to drink Scotch whisky is. They also ask questions such as: What type of glass is best for drinking whisky? Is it better to drink whisky neat or with a little bit of water? Who knew drinking was so complicated! To clear up the confusion I asked the distillery manager, Andrew Nairn, to demonstrate how to drink scotch whisky like a boss.

Step 1: The Visuals

The colour of the whisky will give a strong indication of the type of cask the liquid has been aged in. Swirl the glass and you will see liquid streaks running back down into the whisky, these are the legs. The legs are a good indication of the alcoholic strength of the whisky. The longer the legs take to run back down into the whisky, the higher the alcoholic strength of the whisky is.

Step 2: The Smell

Smell the whisky three times. The first sniff will saturate your nose with alcoholic vapours and you won’t be able to detect any subtleties in the spirit. However, by the third sniff, you should be able to detect the subtleties and also the influence of the cask and the new make spirit. New make spirit is the spirit produced in the distillery that is unaged in a cask.

Step 3: The Taste

All that is left is to enjoy the taste of the whisky.

Question: Can I add water to my Scotch Whisky?

Yes. Andrew uses a pipette to add water drop by drop to his whisky. This gives him better control of how much water he adds. Otherwise, he might accidentally add more water than he wants to. Adding ice is okay too as the ice will slowly melt while you are drinking it, diluting the whisky and bringing out different flavours in it.

Question: What type of glass should I use to drink my Scotch Whisky?

Andrew uses a Glencairn glass to drink his whisky. This type of glass is designed specifically for whisky appreciation. Since the bowl shape funnels aromas towards the narrowed top, this allows for maximum whisky appreciation. The solid base also makes it a more stable piece of glassware to hold onto.

Old fashioned tumblers, or rocks glasses, are also typically used to drink whisky. However, the wide rim doesn’t allow for maximum nosing like the Glencairn glass does. Researchers say that taste is 80% smell, so if you really want to enjoy all the subtleties of your Scotch Whisky then the Glencairn glass is the way to go. Additionally, the Glencairn glass is currently endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) as the “official glass for whiskey.”

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