Okay, firstly. I will admit that Whisky is not the easiest spirit to enjoy drinking right off the bat. Maybe it’s the burn that you can’t handle. Or the smell is too strong. Hell, I have even heard people say that whisky tastes like “hate and sadness” and they’d prefer to drink bleach over it! I get it.

But you are still here! This probably means that you understand that there is a lot more to whisky than just the burn or you are just hell-bent on putting yourself through something uncomfortable to punish yourself! Either way, I am here to help, and I will share my journey from hate to love, of this amazing spirit.

The way I see it, 3 fundamental areas can help you get hooked on Whisky. These go from educating yourself about the many intrinsic details of whisky to picking which whisky you should start with and finally how to go about drinking it.

Educating yourself about Whisky

Personally, this has been the turning point for me, educating myself about its nuances really helped me get into whisky. Whisky is not just a drink, it’s an experience. And the experience only gets richer when you learn more about what’s under the tip of the iceberg. When you realize that there is so much to uncover after you scratch the surface, you can’t get enough.

The simplest thing to start with is to study the bottle. Apart from basic information such as the name, the age statement, type (blended or single malt, etc.) and alcohol content, often, you will also see a beautifully written story about the contents of the bottle. And these stories open the door to really experience aspects of the whisky like the location of the distillery where it is bottled, and what kind of barrels or wood was used to mature it, all adding to the distinct flavors and aromas you get to experience in the glass that you hold right now.

And that’s the start, really. Once you read certain terms or phrases on the bottle that you are not aware of, just start Googling them. For example, “what is the difference between a blended vs. single malt?” or what do you mean by “highland” scotch whisky? So, on and so forth.

The most profound whisky experiences for me are when my surroundings transform into the very nature of whiskey with every sip. For Instance, if I sip on a Talisker 10, I’d get transported to the rocky Isle of Skye coastline at twilight, with the salty sea breeze in my face coupled with the smoke of a woodfire on my side. And this is possible primarily because I have read-up various material about the brand, the expression, and the distillery.

Okay, enough of that as I need to curb the Whisky-nerd in me, but I reckon you get the picture that knowing about the whisky enhances the overall experience and gives you the courage to try different things!

What Whisky to Start with?

This again, is a very important aspect. While many beginner’s guides would start with this part and probably give you a list of potentially easy drinking whiskeys to start with, I feel there is no single answer to this, as different people have different preferences and tastebuds. And hence I have this as step 2, because in step 1, you educate yourself a bit more to understand various tasting notes to find the one that interests you the most.

Whether you like the sweeter, fruiter highland whiskeys, or smoky, peaty Islay scotches you can pick one based on the flavor profile that resonates with you the most. What’s more important to understand as a beginner is that initially go for the lower ABV whisky. ABV is basically alcohol content per volume and as a thumb rule, I suggest sticking to about 40% for beginners. Lower ABV means that the whiskey will have less of a bite and hence you can drink it easier and even try and identify the various flavors it has to offer.

For the sake of this guide, here is my list of top 5 beginner-friendly whiskeys with a hint of their flavor profiles.

• Monkey Shoulder

  • Type: Speyside Blended Scotch Whisky
  • Nose: Vanilla, Berried Fruit, Hint of Spices (Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon)
  • Palate: Caramel, Dried Apricots, Toasted Butter Scotch

• Bushmills Bourbon Cask

  • Type: Irish Single Malt Whiskey
  • Nose: Honey, Malty, Oak, Hint of Vanilla
  • Palate: Baked Biscuits, Toffee Apple, Crème Brûlée

• Elijah Craig

  • Type: Bourbon Whiskey
  • Nose: Cinnamon, Apple, Biscuits/ Dough
  • Palate: Apple Pie, Cinnamon Dusted Biscuits/ Cookies

• Caol Ila 12

  • Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
  • Nose: Smokey, Damp Grass, Cigar Leaves, Hint of Peppermint
  • Palate: Peaty Smoke, Oily, Warm Spices (Pepper, Cloves)

• Hibiki 12

  • Type: Japanese Blended Whisky
  • Nose: Orange, Citrusy Stone Fruits, Cinnamon Dusted Apples
  • Palate: Buttery, Orange Citrus, Crushed Almonds, Some Oak

Again, taste is subjective. So, you might want to research a little more to find a whisky expression that suits you best!

Whisky Drinking Tips for Beginners

Right. Now that you have a comfortable whisky to start with, let’s go over how you can consume it. Usually, I would recommend anyone who wants to enjoy whisky, in all its true glory, to have it neat. Having the whiskey neat ensures you get all the complex notes and flavors that the Master Distiller so painstakingly put together. Nevertheless, if you cannot have it neat at the moment, there is nothing to worry about. It is always good to ease in, take your time with it and enjoy the whole journey.

That being said, the easiest way to start your whiskey journey is with Whisky Cocktails.

Whisky Cocktails

Now, with the cocktails I am going to mention below, my objective is to ensure you have a perfect balance of getting the whisky notes and making it easier to consume. So, these may not be the best cocktails or the fanciest whisky-based cocktails to order at a bar, but these are simpler, cleaner ones that help the whisky shine.

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1. Manhattan

Manhattan is a very classic whisky cocktail that essentially has 3 ingredients. Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. Typically, Manhattan is prepared with Rye whiskey. But I recommend making it with a Bourbon. This is because Rye whiskey has a bit more heat to it, somewhat like Tabasco sauce. Bourbon on the other hand is sweeter.

Recipe:

1. Take a glass, fill it with ice
2. 60 mL of Bourbon Whiskey
3. 30 mL of Sweet Vermouth
4. 3 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
5. Stir well and serve

 

2. Old Fashioned

Okay, quick story. Where did this cocktail get its name from? It’s pretty self-explanatory actually, but here you go. This was one of cocktails that people would consume in the yester years, and it used to constitute of some sugar, water, and whiskey. And as time passed, it got lost in the new and fancy cocktails that bars & taverns started serving. However, some of the old-timers once in a while remembered it by saying things like “l liked it the old-fashioned way”. And that’s how the name was coined.

So here is what you need to do to make yourself an Old Fashioned:

Recipe:

1. Take a glass, place 1 sugar cube in it (if you don’t have sugar cubes, 1 teaspoon of sugar)
2. Soak the sugar (or sugar cube) with 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
3. Mash the sugar cube to stir the sugar with bitters till it turns syrupy
4. 60 mL Bourbon Whiskey
5. Stir well
6. Add an inch of orange peel to the glass

 

3. Whiskey Sour

This is one of the most popular whiskey cocktails out there. And I know, most people hate the fact that it has raw egg whites in it. So, I will make it very simple. If you can’t stand the eggs, skip them. They primarily make the drink more velvety and smoother, but skipping it won’t taint your experience too much, either. But the purpose of this post is to get you accustomed to the taste of whisky so we can just let it go.

Recipe:

1. Take a Mixing Glass
2. 60 mL Bourbon Whiskey
3. 30 mL Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
4. 30 mL Simple Syrup
5. 2 Tablespoons of Raw Egg Whites (Optional)
6. Shake Well Without Ice for 30 Seconds
7. Add Ice to the Shaker and Shake Again for 30 Seconds.

If you like any of these, keep tweaking the ingredients over time to make the whisky more prominent. Another twist that you can introduce is by switching up the type of whiskey you use. Most of the above recipes use bourbon, but if you switch up with a rye whiskey or a smokey Islay whisky, the cocktail will have something new to offer.

Add Water or Ice

This is kind of obvious, but nevertheless an important milestone in the whiskey journey. Adding some water or a small cube of ice has two benefits. One, it dilutes the whiskey to reduce the burn. And two, small amounts of water will help loosen the whiskey to release the aromas. This of course will take some time and practice to clearly understand the difference, but for the trained nose, this makes the difference.

On the rocks (Whisky with ice) and with water are two of the most popular ways of consuming whisky globally. And my recommendation is that once you are comfortable having whiskey in cocktails and are ready to take your whisky consumption to the next level, move to “on the rocks” or with water.

Conclusion

You’ve taken the first step, and while these ideas and tips can help you in your whisky journey but what is more important to understand is that there is nothing wrong with starting slow and working up at your own pace. And as a matter of fact, even after trying hard, you somehow still don’t feel like Whiskey is your drink, there is nothing wrong with that. There are a lot of fine spirits out there and there will definitely be a few which fit you like a glove.