1 - Tasting and Evaluating Spirits Flashcards
How should you set yourself up for tasting?
By minimising outside influences that may alter your perception of the spirit
…can impair your ability to assess spirits and to learn
Consuming alcohol
How must you prepare your palate for tasting?
Ensure it is free from flavours of toothpaste, cigarettes or strongly flavoured foods
How might one clean the palate prior to tasting?
Chewing a piece of bread
What might interfere with a spirits aromas when assessing the spirit?
Perfume, aftershave or other strongly scented products
Why should you be well hydrated before tasting?
Dehydration may cause nasal aroma receptors to become dry and lose sensitivity
Besides dehydration, what else may impair one’s sense of smell?
Hay-fever, colds and fatigue
Describe ideal glasses for assessing spirits
Odourless, colourless, transparent and free of any residues
Describe the ideal features of a tasting glass
A rounded bowl that is large enough to allow water to be added to the sample
Inward sloping walls which concentrate the aromas at the top of the glass
What is important when assessing multiple spirits in one session?
To use the same type of glass for fair comparison
What is the recommended sample size for tasting?
150ml/1.5cl/0.5 US fl. oz
Which are the only two tastes relevant assessing spirits?
Sweetness and bitterness
List the aspects of appearance in the SAT
Clarity
Intensity
Colour
Other observations
What are the options for clarity?
Clear
Hazy
What are the options for intensity?
Water-white
Pale
Medium
Deep
Opaque
What are the options for colour?
Colourless
Lemon - gold - amber - brown
Pink - red - orange - yellow - green - blue - purple - brown - black
What is an example of ‘other observations’ in assessing spirits?
Louching
What are the categories under ‘nose’?
Condition
Intensity
Aroma characteristics
What are the options for condition?
Clean
Unclean
What are the options for aroma intensity?
Neutral
Light
Medium
Pronounced
Give examples of potential aroma characteristics
Raw material, processing, oak and maturation
What are the palate categories when assessing a spirit?
Sweetness
Texture
Flavour intensity
Flavour characteristics
Finish
What are the options for sweetness?
Dry
Off-dry
Medium
Sweet
What are examples for texture?
Rough, smooth, watery, mouthfilling, warming
What are the options for flavour intensity?
Neutral
Light
Medium
Pronounced
Give examples for flavour characteristics
Raw material, processing, oak and maturation
How may finish be sub-categorised?
Length
Nature
What are the options for length?
Short
Medium
Long
What are the options for nature?
Neutral
Simple
Some complexity
Very complex
What is the final category when assessing a spirit?
Conclusions
What are the options for conclusions?
Faulty
Poor
Acceptable
Good
Very good
Outstanding
What might solvent aromas indicate?
A spirit containing too much of the heads
What might ‘tail’ aromas be in a poorly made spirit?
Plastic, cheese or sweat
