I love the holidays and do my best to balance out my time and energies during this time. One of the best ways to enjoy them is by hosting a whiskey tasting night. It really isn’t that hard and it can be quite fun. And please don’t think to yourself, “Gosh another thing I have to do!” I like to look at it as something that I can either make simple and ask my friends to participate in the planning or I can do it as something I want to give to my friends for the holidays.
My holiday season began with a whiskey tasting ladies’ night! I invited some of my long-time girlfriends who I knew would be up for the experience. Since we were all new tasters, we felt like our throats were burning after trying a few samples. So we cracked open a bottle of wine instead, haha! We had so much fun laughing, being together, and trying new things! During my tasting I used whiskey from a variety of regions, some were more familiar like Jameson and Maker Mark’s, and others were a little more refined and unexpected. The girls preferred the latter.
Whiskey tasting is an opportunity to learn about the different flavor profiles or try something rare and different. To get started I have made a list of supplies you’ll need when hosting a Whiskey tasting event.
1. A traditional whiskey tasting uses the copita nosing glass which I found on Amazon. Make sure you provide each participant a notepad on hand for note taking. I like these printable versions
2. A water carafe. Have the water at room temperature and encourage your guests to try the whiskey at full strength. If they prefer they can add water to the whiskey. Plus, it is important to clear your palate between tastings.
3. Coffee grounds. It is also important to have something for your nose to cleanse the smells between each whiskey tasting. By doing this you will get the full flavor profiles and the aromas from each one.
4. Food. Some do not think whiskey pairing is necessary but I prefer to eat something in between tastings. Some of the foods that go well with whiskey are a pungent cheese, ribs, dark chocolate or a pretzel mix. You can try different things while sipping to see what you enjoy. I also have a blog post about how to put together a cheese and charcuterie board, that might help!
5.) Whiskey. New tasters, like myself, would prefer to have 3-4 to taste. I like to have a theme; such as several whiskeys from a certain region or maybe you want to try one from a variety of regions. Whiskey is primarily made in regions from Japan, Canada, the United States and Ireland. I would suggest doing some research on the whiskeys that you will be tasting. Maybe go to their website and offer a history of a particular whiskey to your fellow taste-testers. I haven’t had much whiskey in my lifetime but I did really like a whiskey from Ireland called, Green Spot, when I was visiting there years ago. I also have heard that Japanese whiskey is really good.
6.) Other beverages. Make sure to offer other beverages such as wine or soda. I know not everyone will enjoy the whiskey but I want my guests to enjoy their time with me.
Here’s a few tips to make hosting a whiskey tasting event easier. Have each guest bring a bottle of whiskey and an appetizer. Then, you could have everyone at your party put in a vote for their favorite. At the end of the party you could offer a fun gift to the guest whose whiskey had the most votes. Whatever way you do it just make sure you are enjoying your time and not fretting over if everything is done right. I mean, isn’t the real reason just getting together and having fun with friends or family? It is the holidays ya know!
4 Comments
Where did you get the paddles that the tasting glasses are sitting on? Thank you
Hi Betty, I got mine at Amazon. They have all kinds of varieties. Have fun!
It actually sounds like fun! Would not of thought to throw such a party but hey, it is the holidays…..time for family and friends! Great post!
It can be done with wine or some other beverage! Fun stuff you and dad should host!