Drinking whiskey should be an enjoyable experience but so called ‘traditionalists’ can sometimes ruin it.

You should enjoy the warmth and flavors of the whiskey sliding past your taste buds. Here is what you need to know… When serving whiskey, there are several different ways you can do it. There are those that like it neat. Some like it on the rocks. And those that take it with some ginger ale and a little bit of soda.

Tips to help you enjoy drinking whiskey

As much as we all love drinking whiskey, there is always a question mark when wanting to have it the “right way”. Like anything, the most common answer remains that the best way anyone can have it, is to have it any way he or she like with whatever he or she like. However, if you really want to understand and cherish this piece of art, then you have to equip yourself with the following rules of drinking whiskey.

1 Glass selection

Your traditional whiskey glass; lowball glass, or rocks glass, which have a somehow wide opening with a thick bottom, are certainly not the best glasses for drinking whiskey. This glass because of it its form allows all the fragrance to escape. Instead, go for scotch glasses; they have a wider opening to properly sip in the taste and a concave shape for the nose to breath in the aroma as you are sipping the drink.

Whilst different glasses have their benefits, if possible, always make sure that you serve whiskey in a glass as all the other materials can easily taint the flavor, and that’s exactly what you don’t want.

Whiskey Decanters

For those few individuals who are serious about their whiskey, nothing spells sophistication like a whiskey decanter. A whiskey decanter allows you to simply admire your favorite whiskey, whilst adding a definitive touch to any bar. It is also not a secret that whiskey decanters can make the perfect gift for just about any occasion.

2 Mixology

For those who assume that ice with whiskey is a smooth combination – here’s why. When adding ice you balance the alcohol content and are then able to enjoy the aroma of whiskey that distillers have worked so hard on delivering to you.

Whilst many whiskey experts will criticize the use of ice, there are those that still love using it when drinking whiskey (myself included!). Here is a little advice for those interested in using ice: instead of adding the normal-sized ice cubes, it is better to use spheres or bigger cubes or even scotch rocks. With relatively less surface area, they tend to melt slower meaning your whiskey gets chilled, but less watered down compared to using the regular ice cubes.

If you are interested in taking it a step further, a dash of water (preferably fresh mineral water) is the only liquid which should be added to whiskey. Like ice, but on a lesser scale, adding water simply softens the aggressiveness of your drink and also releases the fragrances.

3 Detecting color and age

Always examine your whiskey immediately after pouring it in the glass, you can do this by simply looking at it in front of a light source. The color of the whiskey gives us a rough estimate of its age – generally the older the whiskey, the darker it is.

4 The art of tasting

When tasting whiskey, never rush, rather take one sip and hold it for about ten seconds, swirl it gently and then swallow it. After swallowing, you will feel an alcoholic warm the throat, which is generally one of the main things that puts people off from taking whiskey. However, it is vital to let this pass, as this is exactly how whiskey divulges its true flavor.

5 Finishing

The taste which comes right after swallowing the whiskey is the finish. Complexity of the finish is what separates whiskey from other liquors. Different flavors tend to divulge themselves during the finish, some of which can actually be elusive. Additionally, the amount of time the whiskey’s flavor stays in the mouth is commonly referred to as the length of the finish. So, when drinking whiskey, always let the taste dawdle.

Try and block out those ‘whiskey snobs’ and so call ‘experts’ out there and use these tips to help you discover and enjoy drinking whiskey.