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McGees - Scotch Whisky Tasting Glossary Category: Food and Drink > Whisky Date & country: 13/09/2007, USA Words: 49

Austere
Seemingly stern, severe, and unadorned in character.

Balanced
One flavor or aroma element does not dominate.

Big
To be contrasted with 'subtle'. Bold, dominant, hard to ignore flavors and presence in the mouth.

Body
Refers to mouthfeel.

Cerealy
Evocative of grain associations.

Cerebral
Complex and begging careful attention and analysis. Frequently also implies that such analysis is difficult.

Complex
Seeming to possess many layers of flavor, for which time is needed to examine and characterize all of them.

Creamy
Possessing the mouthfeel of, say, half & half.

Dark flavors
Reminiscent of flavors like molasses or Vegemite.

Dignified
This is hard to describe. It reflects that it does not taste cloying or youthful. Usually clear, resonant flavors.

Drambuie
A trademarked name for a particular liqueur composed of on scotch whisky, honey, and herbs.

Dry
Astringent and not sweet. In extreme cases the spirit can feel as if it contains no moisture.

Estery
Aroma contains chemical esters. These are generally light, fruity, floral scents.

Ethanol
The particular alcohol that we are referring to when we say 'alcohol'.

Finish
The time period in malt tasting after one has swallowed the spirit.

Firm
Refers to mouthfeel. Contrast with 'soft'.

Grassy
Aldehydic, reminiscent of grass.

Harsh
An unpleasantly aggressive or caustic flavor or feeling to the mouth or nose.

Heather
Reminiscent of the aroma of heather.

Herbal
Reminiscent of kitchen herbs such as thyme, basil, lavender, or chamomile.

Hot
Reminiscent of physical warmth, like freshly-brewed coffee.

Late Palate
The time period in malt tasting after the spirit has been in the mouth for a while but has not yet been swallowed.

Malt, Malty
Refers to the aroma and flavor of malted barley. 'Malt' can also be an abbreviation of 'Single Malt Scotch Whisky'.

Medicinal
Evocative of memories of liquid medicines.

Mouth-coating
Giving the impression that it has coated the inside of your mouth, as with a syrup.

Mouthfeel
The tactile feel of the malt in the mouth. Largely a reflection of the physical qualities, but can also be significantly affected by flavor elements.

Nose
Aroma. When used as a verb, means to sample the aroma.

Nutty
Evocative of the taste of nuts, or reminiscent of the alkaloid qualities of some nuts.

Oaky
Influenced by aging in an oak cask. Implies a woody, spicy, astringent character.

Orange, Orangey
Reminiscent of the citrus fruit of that name.

Palate
Two meanings. Means either the taste components of the malt, or the time period when the spirit is in one's mouth.

Peat, Peaty
Peat is a fuel formed of compacted vegetative layers harvested from the moors. A peat fire has traditionally provided the heat to dry the malted barley used in scotch whisky production. A significant flavor element in many malts, this heavy, smoky, somewhat vegetative flavor is imparted by the distillery water having run over peat, the peat smoke used in the drying process, or both.

Peppery
Reminiscent of black pepper or hot chile peppers. Contrast with 'spicy'.

Phenolic
Aroma contains chemical phenols. These are generally heavy, thick, tar-like scents.

Rich
Possessing robust, highly-flavored elements, usually with a thick mouthfeel.

Salt, Salty
Whether or not the spirit actually contains NaCl, this term denotes the perception of salinity.

Sherried
Influenced by aging in a sherry cask. Usually implies a sweet, somewhat winey character.

Sherry
Reminiscent of the fortified wine of that name.

Smoke, Smokey
Evocative of the flavor of smoke. Sometimes this is peat smoke, but other times the smoke is reminiscent of bonfires, leaf fires, log fireplaces, cigar tobacco, pipe tobacco, or something else.

Soft
Refers to mouthfeel. Like a marshmallow. Contrast with 'firm'.

Spicy
Reminiscent of spices such as cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg. Contrast with 'peppery'.

Spirity
Denotes the obvious presence of ethanol.

Subtle
The elements of interest are not obvious on the palate. Contrast with 'big'.

Sweet
Either sweet in itself, or reminiscent of sweetness. Frequently implies a 'wet' feeling in the mouth (contrast with 'dry'.)

Vegetative
Reminiscent of green plants, especially grasses.

Viscous
Refers to mouthfeel.

Warm
Similar to 'hot', but to a lesser degree.

Winey
Reminiscent of wine.

Youthful
Full of vibrant, volatile, light characteristics. Flavors may not be well integrated, although they may be. Think of a young wine.