A tasting companion for spirits
Taste slowly.
Write it down.
A short guide to tasting whisky, brandy, rum, agave spirits, gin, and vodka — and a notebook that turns what you smell into words.
Open the notebookThe method
How to taste a spirit
Look
Tilt the glass against something white. Note the colour, and how quickly the liquid runs back down the side.
Nose
Bring the glass close with your mouth slightly open and breathe gently. Strong spirits sting if you inhale too hard.
Sip
Take a small sip and let it coat your tongue before you swallow. The first sip often just prepares your palate.
Finish
Notice what stays after you swallow, and for how long. A finish can be short, medium, or long.
Water
Add a few drops of water and taste again. A little dilution often changes what you can smell.
The cellar
Families of spirits
- Whisky & whiskey
Distilled from a fermented grain mash; most styles are aged in wooden casks.
Often: malt, vanilla, oak, dried fruit — and smoke in peated styles.
- Brandy
Distilled from fruit wine, most often grape. Cognac and Armagnac are grape brandies from defined regions of France.
Often: dried fruit, grape, oak, flowers.
- Rum
Distilled from sugarcane products — usually molasses, or fresh cane juice in some styles.
Often: molasses, banana, toffee, spice; grassy notes in cane-juice styles.
- Agave spirits
Tequila is made from blue agave in designated regions of Mexico. Mezcal may use many agave species, traditionally roasted in earthen pits.
Often: cooked agave, pepper, citrus — and smoke in many mezcals.
- Gin
A neutral spirit flavoured with botanicals, with juniper as the defining flavour.
Often: juniper, citrus peel, coriander, herbs.
- Vodka
A neutral spirit, usually unaged. Differences show up in texture and in subtle grain or potato character.
Often: clean grain, light sweetness, pepper.
The notebook
Turn aromas into a tasting note
Choose a family on the wheel, then pick the words that match what you notice. Your draft stays in this browser until you copy or download it.
Choose a family on the wheel
Enjoy responsibly
Taste in small measures, drink water alongside, and never drive after drinking. This site is for adults of legal drinking age where they live.
In the United States the legal drinking age is 21. If alcohol is causing problems for you or someone close to you, SAMHSA's National Helpline is free, confidential, and open around the clock: 1-800-662-4357.