Dead Guillemot, Fabric Plasters and Blackened Engine Grease? – Soctch Whisky News
Dead Guillemot, Fabric Plasters and Blackened Engine Grease?
Glen Moray unveils the whisky world’s wackiest tasting notes ahead of World Whisky Day and asks if it’s time for change?
We use hundreds of words to describe the taste of whisky, from the basic to the truly weird and wonderful! To tie-in with World Whisky Day this weekend (Sunday 22nd May), Glen Moray asked the experts to reveal the strangest tasting notes they’ve encountered and suggest some modern alternatives to make life easier for newcomers and accessible to all.
Leading whisky writers, including Dave Broom, Henry Jeffreys, Jim Coleman, Ian Wisniewski, Mark Gillespie, Brian Townsend and Philip Day all rose to the challenge and revealed their funniest findings, pet peeves and guilty pleasures when it comes to ‘interesting’ whisky lingo. As Henry Jeffreys confessed:
“My bete noir for tasting notes, and I’m as guilty as anyone, is being unnecessarily specific, for example saying Conference pear, rather than just pear, Manuka honey rather than just honey, wild strawberries and Columbian Coffee. I think they are used to give a false sense of exactness.
But, that’s not to say that tasting notes have to be a plain. I love silly comparisons. My favourite ever tasting though, comes from wine and it is ‘sturdier than Robert Mitchum’s trousers press’. Beat that!”
Jim Coleman revealed one tasting note that has stuck with him is ‘tastes like the left wing of a dead seagull on an Islay beach’ whilst whisky aficionado Dave Broom also has a soft spot for an avian analogy, siting Charlie MacLean’s taste of ‘dead guillemot’ as his firm favourite.
From hints of paint thinner, motor grease and Cullen Skink, to notes of rotting fish, beeswax and Germoline, Glen Moray’s findings reveal that whisky lingo is indeed an acquired taste. Below are some favourites that the experts and Glen Moray fans have flagged:
Tastes like
- Pork scratchings dusted with paprika
- Dirt
- Damp cardboard
- Spicy cigarette ash
- A touch of the tack room
- Roofing tar
- Plankton
- Driftwood campfire smoke – a tasting note that is not all together unusual, however as Whisky Cast’s Mark Gillespie points out, one he has caught holy hell for from his family over the years who always want to know “when where you ever around a driftwood campfire on a beach?”
On the nose, with a hint of
- Sileage
- Wet Labrador
- Toilet Duck
- A wet worsted blanket
- Damp autumnal hay
- Scented candle (but which scent?)
In a word…
- Grungy
- Masculine
- Flaccid
- Inoffensive
- Gullet-warming
And the best of the rest when it comes to descriptions:
- ‘Like a young cricket bowler joining the senior squad too young: some of the delivery is wayward but the power, energy and enthusiasm is there in abundance.’
- ‘Like a liquidised Tunnock’s Caramel Log in a glass’
- ‘It’s a sit back with a cigar and show off your cufflinks kind of dram’
Dave Brooms explains: “Our sense of smell is an internalised sense and therefore the most personal. That means we all have different memories and triggers when we smell something. It depends on your background, where you live, what you eat, when you first encountered an aroma. No surprise then that you get some wild descriptors – but they are the right ones for you.
The key is to know what they mean. If I smell clean rabbit hutch/hamster cage I know I’m smelling a malty whisky …You might smell biscuits, or dusty attics … or a dead mouse…
It hinders enjoyment if you don’t allow people to relax and allow their memories to come out.”
One thing many of the experts agree on however, is that it may be time to give whisky a bit of an update by being more alive to the aromas around us and using descriptors and terms that are universally understood.
Scents of Nandos, CBD oil, candy floss, Oreo, cookie dough and peanut butter are just some of the suggestions provided in addition to considering describing mouthfeel more often, think creamy, silky, velvety, oily, juicy and delicate.
And when it comes to Scottish Whisky, Dave Broom would like to see the following used as often as possible: the Gaelic word ‘sgrìob’ which describes the itchiness of the lip when a dram is required and ‘It’s Hoorish strong/ A-hoora strong’ (used as a warning to people who are about to neck a cask-strength dram).
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ABOUT GLEN MORAY
Glen Moray is one of Scotland’s best loved single malt whiskies. It has been crafted since 1897 in the ancient town of Elgin, the capital of the Speyside whisky region, on what was once the Elgin West Brewery site on the banks of the River Lossie. Pure waters from the river, locally malted barley, distillation in traditional copper stills and maturation in American ex-bourbon casks combine to give the whisky its smooth, well-balanced, classic Speyside character. Glen Moray has always been a place where curiosity about flavour and cask maturation has been encouraged. Records dating back to the early days show new make spirit maturing in a wide variety of different casks – a highly unusual practice at this time.
A passion for experimentation and a deep knowledge of wood have been passed down through generations of Glen Moray distillers. The result is today’s exceptional and extensive range of whiskies, offering a flavour and style to suit all tastes. Glen Moray is the 5th biggest malt whisky brand by volume in the UK and is growing in international markets.
ABOUT LA MARTINIQUAISE-BARDINET
Founded by Jean Cayard in 1934, La Martiniquaise is an independent French spirits group with a large portfolio of international brands. Headquartered near Paris, the group operates in over 100 countries with 38 subsidiaries and production sites. The Group’s four pillars are Scotch whiskies, ports, brandies, wines, rums and craft spirits from France. www.la-martiniquaise.com
