50 ml Samples

[thebbqguy]

I am new to whiskey and in another thread a user suggested 50 ml sample size bottles as a viable option for trying different kinds and types of whiskey and bourbon. I stopped by a local store today and picked up a few samplers:

•Maker's Mark Straight Kentucky Bourbon
•Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky
•Jameson Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey

All three bottles totaled less than $7, which is a very affordable price to try three of the iconic whiskey brands without spending $80 - $90 on traditional sized bottles I may not really enjoy after all. I purposely picked American, Scotch and Irish brands for the opportunity to compare them. If I find something I really like, then I'll pick up a larger sized bottle.



Browsing the company websites demonstrated the distinctly different personalities between the brands. With styles ranging from traditional, to vintage, to modern and commercialized I wonder if the taste of the whiskey aligns with the design of the web pages?

[thebbqguy]

This evening I decided to sample the 50 ml Glenlivet single malt scotch. I am a newbie to whiskey so I have been looking forward to learning about and tasting some of the world's popular and best selling whiskey brands.



My initial reaction to this 12 year old whiskey can be summed up in one word - smooth. Gentle on the lips, tongue and gums it begins to warm the throat as it glides by. The initial flavors are so smooth and gentle that I found myself actually hoping for a little more. It allows the taste buds to concentrate and anticipate the warmth that comes on the back end a few seconds later as the alcohol content arrives with a tickle in the roof of the mouth and the ever-so-slight burn in the back of the throat.

As I savored the whiskey after my second sip I began to detect some hints of fruit, but my inexperienced palate has difficulty detecting the pineapple, apple and cinnamon commonly mentioned in write-ups by other more experienced reviewers.

[thebbqguy]

Forgive me if I have committed a well known whiskey tasting faux pas. I simply searched for "whiskey glass" on Google and purchased something similar.

I recall reading somewhere about whiskey outside of the U.S. potentially having some variation in flavors because they re-use barrels. I found that interesting because when I took the George Dickel tour they made a very big deal out of their barrels. At the time they even called attention to the fact that they sell used barrels to Johnnie Walker.