Over the next few days, I’ll be in Speyside with Whisky Scholar’s resident mentor, publication advisor, whisky maker, and expert Vic Cameron.
We’ll be working on the Scotch whisky book during the day (with a few excursions here and there), and we’ll be conducting structured tastings in the evenings.
And we’re recording all of it for you!
This video, filmed yesterday (Sunday) explains what we’re doing any why…then it takes you into a 35-minute ‘palate setting’ tasting of The Glenlivet 23 and Glenfiddich 12 at Vic’s kitchen table.
Vic explains why these whiskies tend to be global bestsellers, and why they’re a great entry point for those who want to get into whisky.
There’s nothing wrong with a ‘baseline’ 12-year-old dram! We loved them both.
The lessons
Most people taste whisky randomly. A dram here, a dram there, maybe a festival, maybe a flight.
But if you actually want to build identification skill—especially for blind tasting—randomness is your enemy.
This week we built a structured tasting ladder instead.
Step one: palate setters
We started with Glenlivet 12 and Glenfiddich 12, not because they’re “basic,” but because they’re clean reference points. Light Speyside spirit, ex-bourbon casks, strong fermentation character. Fewer variables. More signal.
That lets you smell the process before heavy cask influence takes over.
What showed up immediately: green apple, pear, floral notes…classic ester signatures from fermentation, enhanced by copper during distillation.
Process-led flavour. Not wood-led flavour.
Step two: understand where flavour comes from
A useful divide:
Process-led = fermentation & distillation esters forward
Maturation-led = wood compounds forward (vanilla, coconut, tannin, caramel)
Older does not automatically mean better. Active casks can overpower spirit. Refill casks can carry whisky beautifully for decades.
Cask activity matters as much as time.
Step three: know your cask supply chain
Ex-bourbon casks dominate Scotch maturation because bourbon law requires new charred American oak. One use only, and then they’re sold. That built the modern Scotch flavour landscape.
American oak → lighter colour, vanilla, coconut, honey.
European oak → darker colour, tannin, spice, dried fruit.
Colour is a clue, but colouring exists, so never treat it as proof.
Step four: ignore the chill-filtration panic
Chill filtration removes haze-forming fatty compounds that precipitate at low temperature or low ABV. It’s about visual stability. Evidence that it meaningfully strips flavour is weak. Mouthfeel effects remain debated.
It’s simply a production choice.
Step five: accept sensory drift
We watched the same whisky change character across minutes: apple → vanilla → wood. Order, comparison, and palate fatigue all reshape perception.
In blind tasting, justification beats guessing. Explain the chemistry behind your notes.
Final lesson: rare bottles disappear. That’s the point. Whisky is not a museum object — it’s a shared moment with a closing curtain.
Study seriously. Drink gratefully. Let bottles finish their story.
P.S.
We’re treating this tasting as a primer, so anyone can watch for free! Enjoy! And, if you liked it or learned something, be sure to upgrade to a paid subscription to watch future videos. We have some incredible drams and lessons coming up this week…and beyond. (You can also gift a subscription to the whisky lover in your life!)
