Whiskey / Whisky Tasting Notes
A whiskey / whisky tasting notes — bottle (distillery, expression, age, ABV, cask type, region), pour size + glass + water / ice, nose, palate, finish, score, value, rebuy.
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WHISKEY / WHISKY TASTING NOTES Taster: Morgan Lee Date: June 15, 2026 BOTTLE Distillery: Lagavulin Expression: Lagavulin 16 Year Old Category: scotch single malt Region: Islay Age: 16 years ABV: 43% ABV (86 proof) Cask: Ex-bourbon + ex-sherry (refill); peated malt (~35 ppm phenols) Price/value: $110 — Springfield Spirits, on shelf POUR 1.5 oz / 45 ml in Glencairn; neat at first, few drops water for second nose COLOR Deep amber / mahogany NOSE Neat: massive smoke (campfire, charred wood, iodine), sea spray + brine, dried fruit (raisin, prune), sherry sweetness, leather, dark chocolate. With a few drops water: smoke softens, sweetness opens — vanilla, toffee, citrus peel emerge. PALATE Entry sweet, mid-palate intense peat smoke + iodine + brine; sherry-fed richness — dark fruit, espresso, dark chocolate, leather. Coats the mouth, oily texture. Medium-high heat without harshness. FINISH Very long, smoke + brine sustaining; sweet sherry notes fading slowly to dry oak + faint vanilla; warming. Lingers 5+ minutes. SCORE 92/100 — exceptional Islay; reference smoky Scotch. RE-BUY / RECOMMENDATION Yes — re-buy at this price. Great for cold-weather sipping; pair with smoked salmon, dark chocolate, blue cheese, or solo by the fire. GLASSWARE + WATER REFERENCE • Glencairn (default) — concentrates nose; widely used by serious tasters • Copita — wider sherry-style glass, more open nose • Tumbler — relaxing pour, less nose • A FEW drops of water (not a splash) — opens nose for higher-proof whiskies • Ice — chills + dilutes; loses some nose; OK for casual or in cocktails CATEGORY QUICK REF Scotch single malt: barley + malted, distilled at single distillery (e.g., Lagavulin) Scotch blended: blend of multiple distilleries' malt + grain (e.g., Johnnie Walker) Bourbon: 51%+ corn, new charred oak, made in USA Rye: 51%+ rye, new charred oak (American style) Irish: typically triple-distilled, often unpeated, smooth Japanese: Scotch-style, often peated to Speyside character
About this template
**Whiskey tasting is a four-step ritual**: color, nose, palate, finish. **Color** is a clue (caramel coloring is legal in Scotch + Canadian, illegal in bourbon + most American whiskey, so American color is purely cask-derived). **Nose** is the largest sensory channel — most flavor perception is olfactory; smell first neat, then add a few drops of water and smell again. **Palate** evaluates entry (sweet vs spicy), mid-palate (richness, complexity), and intensity (heat, oiliness). **Finish** is the lingering aftertaste — long + complex = quality. **Categories** define style. **Scotch single malt** is 100% malted barley distilled at one distillery, aged 3+ years in oak, often peated (Islay) or unpeated (Speyside, Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown). **Scotch blended** mixes malt + grain whisky from multiple distilleries. **Bourbon** is 51%+ corn, distilled <160 proof, aged in **new charred American oak** (the new-oak rule gives bourbon its caramel + vanilla character), made in the USA — no minimum age but **Straight Bourbon** is 2+ years and **Bottled-in-Bond** is 4+ years at exactly 100 proof from one distillery one season. **Rye (American)** is 51%+ rye, new charred oak, spicy + dry. **Tennessee whiskey** is bourbon + the Lincoln County process (charcoal-filtered). **Irish** is typically triple-distilled, often unpeated, smooth. **Japanese** is Scotch-style and often peated; the category boomed 2010s and many flagship expressions now scarce. **Canadian** is blended, lighter, often rye-leaning. **World whisky** (Indian Amrut + Paul John, Taiwanese Kavalan, Australian Sullivans Cove) is the modern frontier, often outscoring their Scotch / American comparables in international competitions. **Glass** matters — a **Glencairn** concentrates the nose better than a tumbler; a **copita** is more open. **Water** — a few drops (not a splash) on a higher-proof whisky opens the nose dramatically; on a lower-proof (43% and under) less needed. **Ice** chills + dilutes; appropriate for casual or cocktails but loses nose for serious tasting. **Tasting score scales** vary — personal 100-point, Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 100-point, Whisky Advocate 100-point, Whiskyfun 100-point. The personal log is the working library; build it across categories + regions to build sensory vocabulary.
When to use it
- Personal whiskey tasting + rebuy log.
- Side-by-side comparison of expressions, regions, or vintages.
- Whiskey club / blind-tasting documentation.
- Bottle-by-bottle inventory + tasting record.
What to include
- Taster + date.
- Distillery + expression + category + region + age + ABV + cask type.
- Price + value reference.
- Pour size + glass + water/ice choice.
- Color, nose, palate, finish.
- Score (personal or external scale).
- Rebuy / recommendation.
Frequently asked
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