Best tips for developing your whisky-tasting palate

Do you find yourself shying away from more refined whiskies and drinking the same ones over and over again? It’s easy to fall into the habit of sticking with what you know. But doing so limits you from experiencing all of the wonderful whiskies out there. 

Developing your taste buds and tolerance for different types of whisky takes time and being patient with yourself; don’t jump into taking an incredibly smoky dram if you hate the flavour and strength. 

That’s why we’re here to guide you through the process with a range of tips that have helped many whisky connoisseurs develop their whisky palate. Soon, you’ll be going to tasting events and trying everything. Plus, you’ll have plenty more knowledge to bring to the whisky community. 

Do you want to try new whiskies from the comfort of your home? Our whisky sets allow you to explore new brands and types of whisky in a relaxed and personal setting, so you can take it at your own pace and enjoy a lovely evening of whisky tasting with loved ones. 

Why your palate can (and will) get better

You can train yourself to tolerate and enjoy anything if you really put your mind to it; whisky is no different. 

If your taste buds aren’t used to something, your brain may automatically place it in the ‘don’t eat or drink’ category. But sometimes it takes trying something a few times or in different ways for you to develop a liking for it. 

Plus, as we grow, our taste buds continue to develop and change with us. So just because you didn’t enjoy a smoky bourbon when you tried it years ago, it doesn’t mean you still won’t today. Whisky flavour is mostly smell, a bit of taste, and texture, and all three respond well to practice.

So, to expand our point a bit more:

1. Your nose is built to adapt. The cells that detect aroma continue to change throughout our lives, affecting our ability to tolerate different smells. We can grow used to a smell if we expose ourselves to it often.
2. Practice changes performance. Structured “smell training”, which includes smelling the same aromas little and often, improves our ability to detect, tell apart, and name smells.
3. Flavour isn’t just through the nose; it’s also “retronasal”. When you sip, aroma molecules travel up behind the palate to your smell receptors, which is why whisky opens up once it’s in your mouth.

What “palate” actually means (nose, taste/texture, and finish)

• Nose (aroma): what you smell before sipping.
• Palate (taste): what you perceive across the tongue (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami) and the different flavour notes you recognise.
• Finish: the aftertaste and how long it lingers (short/medium/long), and what tastes appear as it fades

7 tips for improving your whisky palate

So, are you ready to impress yourself and your whisky friends by expanding your whisky horizons? Soon, you’ll go from sticking to your classic scotch whisky to trying whiskies from all over the world, like Japan and the US. 

One thing for certain, it’ll make travelling a lot more fun!

1. Do a warm-up routine (2 minutes)

Doing a little ‘warm-up’ routine is actually a great and effective way to prepare yourself to try some new whiskies without overwhelming your senses. 

Many professionals swear by this, especially if you’re only just getting into drinking whisky. 

• Rinse your mouth with still, room-temperature water.
• If you’ve just had coffee, mint, or spicy food, give it some time for the aftertaste to fade. If you need to snack, opt for plain options like oatcakes or crackers.
• Pour a small measure (15–20 ml) of a lighter whisky, around 40–47% ABV, to warm the palate.
• Place your glass to your chin or upper lip and take a few small sniffs to wake up your nose. 
• Then, take a tiny first sip to coat the tongue and let your taste buds adjust to the alcohol. 

2. Follow this simple, repeatable tasting method

Having one method that you stick to when trying new whiskies will help you make sure that you’ve got everything covered. 

It’ll also make your notes more consistent, and you’ll be able to track your progress better with every taster session.

• Choose a quiet, neutral-smelling room and prepare a tulip-shaped tasting glass, a glass of water, and a notebook for tasting notes.
• Hold the glass over a white background and note the clarity and colour depth.
• Keep the glass just below your nose and take short sniffs with your mouth slightly open. Jot down any broad aroma groups, eg, fruits, florals, spices, etc. 
• Now take a normal, small sip and breathe out gently through your nose. If heat still crowds the flavours, add a few drops of room-temperature water, swirl, and re-nose
• If the dram feels hot or tight, add still, room-temperature water a drop at a time, swirl, then re-nose and re-taste. 
• Note how long the flavours linger (short/medium/long) and what shows last (e.g., dried fruit, cocoa, smoke, pepper).
• When tasting more than one whisky, pour light → rich, lower ABV → higher ABV, and unpeated → peated. Nibble on plain crackers between tastings to set your taste buds back to ‘default’.

3. Train your senses with side-by-side comparisons

Comparative tasting is a great way to learn how to distinguish between different types of whiskies and get better at recognising the tells of each one. 

We recommend starting with a whisky that you’re already familiar with and tasting it alongside a new bottle to examine the different flavours, complexity, finish length, and character. 

You can taste two whiskies similar to each other or go for contrasting pairs, e.g., fruit vs smoke, bourbon cask vanilla vs sherry-cask dried fruit, or gentle 40% ABV vs a punchier cask-strength pour.

Here are some other ideas to start you off:

• Scotland by region: Spot broad style differences (e.g., fruit-forward Speyside vs. coastal smoke). Our Single Malt Whisky Tasting Set (5×30 ml with tasting cards & mat) is perfect for this!
• Cask influence: Compare ex-bourbon vs. sherry vs. port finishes to see how wood changes sweetness, spice, and dried-fruit notes.
• Age and ABV ladder: Taste, for example, a 10–12-year, a 15-year, and a cask-strength pour to understand shifts in texture and complexity.

4. Build your flavour memory 

One of the best pieces of advice we can give is to get yourself out there and try new things. 

Developing your palate, whether it’s for food or drink’ requires you to push yourself out of your comfort zone and experience different types of tastes and smells from all over the world. Try food you never thought you would, take more risks, visit new places and learn about the food culture. 

By expanding your taste buds with different foods and environments, you’re building a bigger memory logbook that will allow you to notice different notes and smells in every whisky you try from then on out.

5. Try different smelling techniques 

Most of what we call “flavour” in whisky is actually down to what we smell, so changing how you nose the glass can unlock very different notes.

Of course, the simplest technique is to hold the whisky a few inches away from your nose to identify the different notes without it burning your nose. However, you can switch it up a little by starting far and then bringing it closer before you feel the burn.

You can also try smelling with one nostril at a time. Your nostrils take turns doing more of the airflow work (the “nasal cycle”), which can make one side better at picking up certain aromas than the other. Try two or three short sniffs on the left, then the right, to see if there’s a difference.

6. Add water to stronger whiskies 

Is the whisky too much for you to handle at once? If you can’t deal with how strong a whisky is straight away, then there’s nothing wrong with adding a little bit of water. 

However, make sure the water is room temperature, and only use still filtered or spring water, as anything else can interfere with the minerals in the whisky. 

Adding water causes molecules to rise to the surface, alters its chemical balance, and softens the burn, making it easier to notice more subtle notes. Don’t add more than 20% of water, as this can make the whisky lose its overall flavour profile and aromas. 

7. Take part in distillery tastings and whisky events

The best way to learn and sample new whiskies from home is by attending distillery tastings and going to whisky events. 

This way, you’ll be guided throughout the entire process and encouraged by your peers. Plus, a professional whisky guide will know all of the best tricks for sampling whiskies.

If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the community, try whiskies from different brands and breweries, and buy a few bottles for yourself, then a whisky festival is the place to be. In fact, the UK hosts many whisky festivals every year, with some great picks in our blog. 

Try whisky tasting at home

Are you ready to improve your whisky-tasting palate from home? 

Our whisky tasting sets allow you to enjoy a relaxing night of whisky tasting from your couch, with many different whiskies to choose from. You’ll get everything you need for an enjoyable session: five miniature whiskies, tasting cards, and a tasting mat.

Or, you can keep the party going with our whisky tasting subscription! The choice is yours.