w
hether
you’re
a
simply smelling the spirit, bobbing your head and saying, “Not
spirits
bad, not bad,” to the person next to you. Because of all this
veteran or a relative
mystique, numerous myths have arisen that could prevent you
seasoned
newcomer, part of properly appreciating a fine spirit involves studying the subtle
aroma
it
produces (called “nosing”). This practice is far more than
from experiencing a whole new world of spirit appreciation.
Myth #1
Adding water opens up whiskey. To “open up” wine or
whiskey means enhancing the evaporation of the alcohol in the spirit. When using tall convergent rim glasses (think short and fat) that concentrate odors at the nose, add a few water drops to cut the burn. Remember, adding water raises surface tension, and closes down ALL evaporation including alcohol. Less alcohol is mistakenly perceived as “opening up”, because there is less alcohol aroma detected after adding water. Water doesn’t “open
The Nose Knows
up” anything drinkable by humans. If you have to add water you are using the wrong glassware (unless you can’t handle the alcohol sting of straight spirits on the palate).
How to Properly Nose Your Spirits written By George Manska
Myth #2
Tulip shaped glasses are better. If you
want to smell something besides alcohol, choose something besides the tulip shape. Convergent rim glasses place all the alcohol at your nose, which can be overwhelming. A shorter glass allows you to nose close to the spirit where complex fatty acid ethyl ester aromatics lurk (the tasty stuff). Also, with a fatter glass you get a larger amount of evaporation
area,
which
means more of the spirit will be evaporating at once. Finally, choose a glass with a flared rim; this will cause the harsher alcohol vapors to dissipate before it actually hits your nose.
Myth #3
Chilled
stones or ice “smooth” a spirit. Adding chilled stones or ice decreases the
temperature
and
reduces evaporation, closing it down. If you want to know what’s in the spirit, never add ice or stones. Ice cools, melts and dilutes.
28 www.ArtisanSpiritmag.com