As with wine, it can be interesting to organize a spirits tasting to learn the unique characteristics of each. Another great idea to enjoy a friendly moment with friends or colleagues!
What do we mean by spirits?
There are many categories of spirits, but they are generally grouped according to the main ingredient used in their production. For example, cereals for whisky, sugarcane for rum, fruits for cognac or calvados, agave for tequila... Others are harder to categorize due to the large number of ingredients used (vodka...).
Spirits are made following major steps common to all:
- The raw material is transformed into a sweet liquid
- Alcoholic fermentation: the sweet liquid is turned into alcohol
- Distillation: the alcohol becomes a spirit
- Optional steps: aging, adding sugar...
- Bottling
Our tips for organizing a spirits tasting
1 - Choose a theme and make a selection
As with wine, there are many different spirits. To avoid getting lost, we recommend choosing a theme or category for the tasting. For example, whiskies (selecting different styles or from different countries), rums (agricultural, Hispanic, British, white or amber...). Indeed, even focusing on just one type of spirit, you will have plenty to explore! There are many styles and colors for each: plenty of opportunities for great discoveries.
The tasting can also be based on a comparison between two spirits (cognac and armagnac...) or done blindfolded for an even more playful experience!
If you are a casual enthusiast, it can be helpful to ask a professional or a wine merchant for advice to guide your choices. They can certainly recommend surprising spirits you might not have even imagined!
2 - Organizational aspects
The first point is to find the ideal place to host the event. If you want to do it at home, make sure the room is free of odors and noise, and that the lighting is suitable to best observe the color of each spirit.
It can be useful to prepare tasting sheets and notepads. The sheets will help less experienced tasters learn the basic characteristics of each product. The notepads will be for taking notes to later share impressions.
3 - Choosing the glasses
First, favor stemmed glasses, which prevent holding the glass with your whole hand (which would warm the alcohol). For the shape of the glass itself, the ideal is a tulip glass. This concentrates the aromas at the top of the glass, as well as the alcoholic vapors (suitable for the strongest spirits).
The smaller the glass, the fewer alcohol vapors will burn the nose. For this reason, you should also gently bring your nose to the glass during tasting (even more so than with wine!) to avoid being overwhelmed. The only reason to use large glasses is when tasting a spirit served with ice cubes.
Can you decant a spirit? It is not recommended. However, if the tasting is blind, you can use socks to cover the label and the color of the bottles.
You can also provide a spittoon because, as with wine, there is no need to swallow what you taste to get an idea of it. Spitting also prevents palate fatigue for your guests. To avoid this, you can also provide some water, especially for darker spirits.
4 - Storage and serving
First, make sure to serve your spirits at the appropriate temperature. Generally, they are all consumed at room temperature, between 15 and 20°C. Some exceptions, like pastis, liqueurs, and white spirits (vodka, tequila...), are better served slightly chilled (or with ice). However, it is better not to store bottles in the refrigerator as this could mask some aromas.
While waiting for the tasting, store your bottles upright to prevent the alcohol from attacking the cork. Also, keep them in a cool place to avoid evaporation, and away from light to prevent aroma oxidation. Once the tasting is over, with air having entered the bottle, there are two options: transfer the alcohol to a smaller bottle, or use an airtight stopper and a pump to remove the air from the bottle.
5 - Tasting order
Start with young and lively spirits, finishing with older and more refined ones. Also, taste the sweeter ones first, before moving on to the drier ones. Of course, remember to provide water or non-alcoholic drinks to sip between each spirit, as well as some food.
A stimulation of the senses
As with wine, almost all our senses will be engaged. How can we use them to get the most information about the products tasted?
⦁ Sight: visual examination of the color rarely allows, unlike wine, to judge the age or quality of the spirit. Some can be very old but still light in color because they are filtered. The main thing is to check if it is cloudy, if there are tears... you can use a color chart to appreciate the wide variety of colors: colorless, brown, golden, amber... or more unusual like green or blue for liqueurs.
⦁ Smell: avoid swirling the glass as this would mask the lighter aromas; tilting it is enough. You will generally find aromas of the raw material used (grape, apple, plants, cereals...). Others are created through aging techniques. For example, oak barrel aging gives a coconut aroma to Bourbon, and vanilla to Cognac. Finally, some aromas are added, as with gin (a vodka infused with juniper, citrus, and spices). The more aromas there are, the more complex the spirit is considered.
⦁ Taste: sensations in the mouth will confirm or not the aromas, but also reveal the texture (sharp, rough, silky...) and aromatic persistence (the length of flavor in the mouth, a sign of quality). Is the alcohol sweet, salty, acidic, or bitter? Is it rather dry or oily? Can you detect a broad category (fruits, plants, spices...) or even a more specific aroma (white flower, dried fruit...)?
In conclusion, it is interesting to compare the impressions felt through each sense. Do the aromas perceived by smell and taste match?
What food and spirit pairings?
Remember, spirits often have a very high alcohol content! To moderate the tasting a bit, you can plan suitable and sometimes original pairings! A few examples:
- Rum: with oysters or a spicy dish, or with a dish featuring exotic fruits to highlight coconut notes.
- Whisky: with smoked fish or seafood, cheese, or dark chocolate.
- Armagnac: with smoked fish, strong cheese like Roquefort, foie gras.
- Cognac: with cured ham, Roquefort, dark chocolate, or crème brûlée.
- Vodka: with smoked fish (salmon for example) or caviar, and for dessert with lemon tart or red fruit tart.
- Liqueur or cream: for dessert with crepes, tiramisu, or sorbet.
- Gin: with raw fish (ceviche), tartare, or dessert with red fruits.
- Eau-de-vie: as a starter with foie gras, with cheese like munster, Roquefort, or epoisses, and especially for dessert to accompany fruits (cherries, peaches, plums...).
Concluding the tasting
Ultimately, despite a few rules to follow, don’t hesitate to personalize your tasting to your liking! Because impressions will always differ from one participant to another, no matter what you do. It is precisely this subjectivity that encourages exchanges during the event and shared reflections at the end. If the tasting was blind, revealing the labels at the end will close the event with surprise and good cheer.
Would you like to participate in such a tasting with your colleagues or clients but don’t have time to prepare it? Domaine du Goût will take care of it for you! In person, remotely, or hybrid, you will explore great French spirits selected just for you with our sommelier! This way.
