# Pretentious whiskey tasting **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** liquor-alcohol\ **Created:** [June 12, 2022, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061 "2022-06-12T04:02:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/61 "2022-06-15T13:12:45Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Pairing were more interesting though. How wine changes sweet or spicy or umami flavors. I haven’t done a wine tasting with food like that, but I did attend one of Garrett Oliver’s similar beer/food pairing events at about the same time he published “The Brewmaster’s Table”. It was kind of eye opening how well certain beers go with certain foods. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/62 "2022-06-15T14:41:00Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > Spirits and alcoholic beverages arent really drunken because they are great tasting, but because of the effects of alcohol. YMMV for sure!!! (yeah I think this grapejuice has spoiled, its smells funny) > So I would prefer descriptions such as “ours gets you buzzed on the first swallow”. or “this mellow wine packs a punch and you’ll be lying on the floor after 2 glasses” I’m the opposite. I’d rather buy a small bottle of really good stuff and sip it for the flavor than buy a big bottle of “Getchawastedfast”. Besides, I can’t afford big bottles. So I’ve ended up with a liquor cabinet full of smaller bottles of scotches and bourbons. Just bought some Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, and I can sip that on the porch watching the sun set over the lake… sure beats getting drunk. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/63 "2022-06-15T15:21:21Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > Spirits and alcoholic beverages arent really drunken because they are great tasting, but because of the effects of alcohol. YMMV for sure!!! (yeah I think this grapejuice has spoiled, its smells funny) That’s not true. I mean, the intoxicating effects of alcohol are part of the package, but some of them are pleasant independent of the intoxicating effects. And while I don’t deny that for many, the intoxication is the primary goal, there are LOTS of us for whom the intoxication is secondary, or even unwelcome. You can generally tell by how a product is marketed- if it’s a flavored vodka/rum, some sort of product marketed based on its perceived coolness/status, or about how “smooth” or easy-drinking it is, it’s likely being consumed for intoxication. In particular, anything that tends to downplay an alcoholic beverage’s inherent flavor is usually aimed at the “get drunk” crowd. I mean, why would you choose a beer marketed as “not bitter”, or a vodka that tastes like cotton candy, if your point is to enjoy the beer or the vodka? If it’s marketed differently- based on flavor or tradition, or whatever else, it’s likely being marketed toward people “in the know”, who aren’t primarily concerned with getting drunk. This isn’t 100%- some large whiskey manufacturers have interesting hybrid advertising (Jim Beam/Jack Daniels) that try to co-opt the marketing for people interested in flavor for the get-drunk types. Anyway, many of us actually enjoy the flavors of spirits/beer/wine, and while intoxication can be pleasant, sometimes it’s not the end-goal. For example, there’s something uniquely thirst-quenching about an ice-cold American light lager (think Budweiser, Coors, Miller, etc…) when you’re hot and thirsty. More so than say… straight water or Gatorade, believe it or not. And other traditional drinks like egg nog at Christmas are also more than the sum of their parts in those situations. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/64 "2022-06-15T17:31:59Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > From that point forward, it became a game. He’d bring me the next glass, and I’d taste it; then the server would bring the next course, and I’d taste them together; and the sommelier would return and ask for my reaction. Those are some nice stories. If I ever go to a wine tasting I’m going with you! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/65 "2022-06-15T17:55:45Z")
I have a much better understanding of tasting thanks to this thread. I have never tried to taste drinks like this process at all. But I haven’t had any alcoholic drinks since 1992 so I guess it doesn’t matter much. But I do have a few anecdotes on soft drinks. I enjoy ginger beer and ale and search out different brands when I can. I have had probably 15 different brands in the past year or two. Their flavor profiles aren’t really complex. I mean it’s just ginger and sugar. But the levels of heat and citrusy notes does vary. Ginger drinks can be intended as mixers or regular soft drinks. The mixers are sharper and drier. “Q” stands out as it actually has red pepper in and I find it too hot. Citrus can be good. But I tried one of the “real” Jamaican ginger beers and it was lousy. It had pineapple in it. Fever Tree is my favorite. And root beers. I like root beer. I wish I could have some of the sarsaparilla I used to drink as a youth to compare. The FDA no longer approves sassafras as a food ingredient. So what is the main flavor in modern root beer? Wintergreen! Yes indeed. I don’t think I noticed this until I read about it but now it immediately stands out. So that is my educated palette and I can at least understand how the learning of tastes happens. Think about wintergreen the next time you have a root beer and you will be surprised. I wonder if the wine/whiskey tasters would spot it without being told beforehand? One of the local restaurants used to brew their own root beer. I was excited but it was so heavily flavored with cinnamon I couldn’t stand it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/66 "2022-06-15T20:46:13Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > Think about wintergreen the next time you have a root beer and you will be surprised. I eat or taste a lot of wintergreen, so I know that flavor very well. Kind of a toothpaste-y or medicinal mint flavor. Definitely prominent in root beer. That said, I also have sassafras tea oncentrate here in my cupboard, and its main ingredient after water is “all natural extra of sassafras (safrole free)” and it very much has the other main flavor note of root beer. I wonder if the commercial root beers use this, as it tastes more of root beer on its own than wintergreen does, but the only ingredients I could find are basically natural and artificial flavors. Moxie is another one that is heavy on the wintergreen. Its bittering agent is gentian root. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/67 "2022-06-15T21:47:20Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > {…} So what is the main flavor in modern root beer? Wintergreen! Yes indeed. {…} Think about wintergreen the next time you have a root beer and you will be surprised. {…} And if you really want to taste the wintergreen get birch beer. Wintergreen and delicious methyl salicylate, [https://s.yimg.com/aah/yhst-4043893163530/pain-relief-bengay-30-10-4-strength-methyl-salicylate-menthol-camphor-cream-4-oz-15.jpg](https://s.yimg.com/aah/yhst-4043893163530/pain-relief-bengay-30-10-4-strength-methyl-salicylate-menthol-camphor-cream-4-oz-15.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/68 "2022-06-15T22:05:24Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I enjoy ginger beer and ale and search out different brands when I can. I have had probably 15 different brands in the past year or two. Their flavor profiles aren’t really complex. I mean it’s just ginger and sugar. But the levels of heat and citrusy notes does vary. Ginger drinks can be intended as mixers or regular soft drinks. The mixers are sharper and drier. “Q” stands out as it actually has red pepper in and I find it too hot. Citrus can be good. But I tried one of the “real” Jamaican ginger beers and it was lousy. It had pineapple in it. Fever Tree is my favorite. I’m a fan of Bundaberg, Gosling’s, and Fever Tree. Too many others have way too much citrus or weird stuff like capsaicin or pineapple in them, even the “authentic” ones. But for some definite tasting pretense, look at the Gosling’s Ginger Beer description: > ## Tasting Notes > > AROMA > Citrusy, spicy. > TASTE > Flavors of lime peel, crystallized ginger, meringue, and turmeric. > FINISH > Tingling, layered, with elements of lemon candy. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/69 "2022-06-15T23:33:21Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I enjoy ginger beer and ale and search out different brands when I can. I have had probably 15 different brands in the past year or two. You should definitely start a “Soft Drink Reviews” thread\*. I appreciated your ginger ale and root beer comments (ANYone know of a real Sarsaparilla soda?). And we’d love to hear about other drinks (like how you tried Moxie and threw up at a party! Oh, wait, that was me…) \*Help us, @mixdenny… you’re our only hope. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/70 "2022-06-15T23:42:26Z")
The greatest ginger beer on the market, bar none, is **A.J. Stephans.** Just good luck finding any. Stuff has been scarce lately. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/71 "2022-06-16T00:31:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > A.J. Stephans [Total Wine has it,](https://www.totalwine.com/accessories-more/mixers-water-soda/soda/aj-stephans-ginger-beer/p/102791128) and I got my hopes up, but it comes up as “Available in Temecula, CA!”, even though I’m in the midwest… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/72 "2022-06-16T01:06:28Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > And if you really want to taste the wintergreen get birch beer. A friends wife made him a shopping list for a party. One item was a case of birch beer. He read it as bitch beer, and happily secured a case of [Flying Dog Brewery Raging Bitch Belgian IPA.](https://www.flyingdog.com/beers/raging-bitch/#) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/73 "2022-06-16T01:15:25Z")
Given the flavor of ~~Bengay~~ methyl salicylate in birch beer, I’m sure there’s a joke about Flying Dog Brewery Raging Bitch Belgian IPA and its subtle notes of Vagisil . . . but I ain’t making it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/74 "2022-06-16T12:11:52Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > And if you really want to taste the wintergreen get birch beer. Black birch twigs have a pronounced wintergreen flavor. I used to chew them for that when i hiked. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/75 "2022-06-16T12:15:36Z")
A handful of the thinnest twigs makes a nice tea. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/76 "2022-06-16T15:54:13Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’m a fan of Bundaberg, Gosling’s, and Fever Tree. Too many others have way too much citrus or weird stuff like capsaicin or pineapple in them, even the “authentic” ones. > > But for some definite tasting pretense, look at the Gosling’s Ginger Beer description: Bundaberg is a good drinking choice. I buy it often because it is reasonably priced and Walmart carries it. Gosling has an odd ingredient. It contains “ginger beer flavor”. Not “ginger flavor”, but “ginger beer flavor”. So it’s ginger beer flavored with, um, ginger beer flavor. ---
**Author:** ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/77 "2022-06-16T19:03:59Z")
Taste, just like most of the senses, is so subjective. I think all I can really say is that I don’t share their passion for the taste of whiskey. But, that’s not really fun to say. I think they’re kinda crazy really. Same for wine tasters and audiophiles who think records sounds better. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/78 "2022-06-17T00:34:13Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Same for wine tasters and audiophiles who think records sounds better. But you’ve got to admit that even the most “insouciant yet supercilious Pinot” lacks the “warmth of vinyl”… ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/79 "2022-06-17T01:54:34Z")
> [@tullsterx](#): > > Same for wine tasters and audiophiles who think records sounds better. A few weeks ago, my wife and I wandered into an antiques mall, where one of the exhibitors had a record playing on a turntable. It’s as fun to snark at vinyl purists as it is at oenophiles, but we both agreed that there _is_ something special about listening to a record. And neither of us is in any way an audiophile; in fact, I’ve been deaf in one ear since birth, so I’ve never even heard stereo sound in my life. But there is a quality to vinyl separates it from other forms of media. Of course, **Mrs. SMV** and I both grew up with vinyl records, so it’s entirely possible that that “special quality” might be simple nostalgia. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecc23a/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada_Jr)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061/80 "2022-06-17T03:45:30Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > But there is a quality to vinyl separates it from other forms of media. I suddenly remember watching _The Hobbit_ (2012). I saw it in the super-duper high frame rate, and I thought it looked much more **realistic** than regular frame rate, but not realistic in a good way. It didn’t look more like Bilbo and Gandalf talking in Bag End, it looked more like Freeman and McKellen talking on a sound stage. Something similar might be going on in the transition from vinyl to digital. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretentious-whiskey-tasting/966061.md?page=5)