Fife whisky company The Single Cask is hoping to turn the industry “on its head” by redefining tasting notes for the amber bead.
The Glenrothes-based bottling firm, which holds more than 3,000 casks on its premises, have devised a new system for tasting the popular Scots drink.
Five new “mood” categories — cheerful, playful, bold, curious and easy-going — will be used to determine how their products are described.
The plan comes as part of a brand relaunch for The Single Cask.
The whisky industry accounts for £3 in every £100 for Scotland’s gross value added (GVA) and is estimated to generate around £5.3 billion for the Scottish economy.
The Single Cask’s single casks
The Single Cask bottle unique single cask whiskies from some of Scotland’s most famous distilleries.
They hope their new tasting note categories will give a more accessible experience to drinkers.
Traditionally, whisky tasting notes were defined as being peaty, floral, fruity, cereal, winey, woody, sulphury and feinty.
But as whisky taster Kami Newton explains, flavour and palate varies from mouth-to-mouth.
“One of the biggest challenges with flavour is that it’s a different experience from one person to the next,” he said.
“For example, to some people coriander tastes like a delicious, fragrant herb.
“But others have a genetic variation that makes coriander taste like disgusting soap.
“Add to this flavours that are culturally specific and the challenge of pigeonholing whisky by flavour becomes clear.
“The five mood method takes a whole new approach that is less confusing and creates an emotional connection with whisky drinkers.”
Whisky charisma
So how will the “moods” describe each whisky?
- Cheerful: well-mannered, joyful, effortless, and dependable crowd-pleasers that suit any occasion.
- Playful: ones that bounce around your nose and mouth, full of life, vigour,
enthusiasm and excitement. - Bold: big, powerful, and strong whiskies – with assertive, rich and deep characters.
- Curious: surprising, uncommon, oddball whiskies that are the hidden treasure for die-hard fans.
- Easy-going: laid back, and mellow drams for when you’re in the mood to simply unwind and relax.
Helen Stewart, brand marketing manager, said: “We feel this brand-new way to explore our single cask whiskies will open whisky lover’s eyes to a new world of experiences.
“We want to be the brand who helps people to easily discover their perfect dram, and enjoy that ultimate, unique single cask whisky experience.
“At The Single Cask, we believe the overall charisma of a dram is more important than its individual flavours, and when we picture whiskies as personalities, they become easy to relate to.
“We can instantly identify with the mood of the whisky.
“That ability to move and connect people, to make us feel alive in ways unimaginable and open our minds to new experiences.”
