Scotch whisky gold comes to the Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham
So that’s a no-no. And I’m not sure I would have dared anyway, under the disapproving gaze of a room full of the society’s best.
And so back to the tasting. This is very important to get right. The correct approach, we’re told, is to look, smell, feel, taste.
First, to pick up the glass, look at it in the light, tip it and look for the “legs,” the little lines of liquid that run down the side of the glass. The slower they run, the better the whisky.
Next, give it a bit of a sniff – not too much or you’ll end up coughing. There are different levels of smell to it, with different notes at the top, middle and bottom of the glass. The nose, the society says, is capable of identifying scents diluted to just one part in a million, so there’s plenty to take in.
Scientists have identified some 400 different aromas in malt whisky. For mere mortals, it’s enough to be able to distinguish the eight aromatic groups: esters, phenols, aldehydes, sweet-associated, cereals, oils, woods and wines.
If the next bit sounds like I’m making it up, bear with me. You dip your finger in (hopefully you washed your hands before tea) and rub some between your hands to see how it feels. Dabbing it behind your ears is optional.
Finally, it’s time to taste. The single-caskers are fearsomely strong – 60-70 per cent alcohol – so take a small sip. It’s okay to mix in a bit of water later on, but the first taste has to be neat.
Mark says it’s acceptable to spit out the drink after you’ve had a proper taste of it. Strangely, no one around the room seemed to be doing this.
Since being founded in 1980, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society has grown around the world and now has more than 26,000 members. It picks out top casks from across Scotland, as well as America, Ireland and Japan among other countries.
The society’s tasting panel of whisky experts, writers and scientists picks out the best casks to recommend to its members. The opening of a branch in HdV Birmingham – which focuses solely on Scotch at the moment – was the brainchild of manager Mark Davies, who describes himself as a newcomer to Scotch, but has promised to drink more with the opening of the “snuggle.”
* For more on the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, including how to join, go to www.smws.co.uk
