How to write a whisky tasting note

If "it's good" is as far as you can get, that is perfectly fine. A tasting note is not a judge's scorecard — it is a record of how one glass felt to you. Follow aroma, palate and finish in that order and pick the words that come to mind. That alone is a note. This page takes you as far as writing your very first one.

Writing about it is how you learn to taste

The same whisky gives you more when you are trying to put it into words. Write "sweet" and you immediately go back for another sip to check whether it is honey, caramel or fruit. Those checking sips add up, and after a while your own preferences come into focus. A note is a record, but it is also practice.

You don't have to write well. You are the only one who reads it back.

Three things, in this order

The order matters: the first sip overwrites the impression of the aroma, so smell it first.

1. 1

   Aroma

   Nose

   Leave the glass still and take two or three short sniffs with your mouth slightly open. One deep breath and the alcohol numbs everything. Three to five of the first words that surface are plenty.

   Add a few drops of water and smell again — aromas that were closed often open up.

2. 2

   Palate

   Palate

   Take a small sip, roll it over your tongue, then swallow. Where is the sweetness? Is there any dryness or bite? Checking whether the words you found in the aroma come back on the palate is what reveals the character of the bottle.

   Repeating the same word is fine. "Honey on the nose, honey on the palate" is itself a characteristic.

3. 3

   Finish

   Finish

   What stays in your mouth and nose after you swallow — how long, and what exactly. This is where a bottle shows its identity: two whiskies with a similar nose and palate part ways in the finish.

   Wait about ten seconds before writing. What lingers and what fades separate on their own.

When no words come, choose instead of recalling

Not getting past "nice" is completely normal. tayst arranges flavour words in three levels — category, group, tag — so you can walk down from the top instead of recalling anything. Aim roughly, then pick the nearest word.

The 8 categories below are the top level. Each one holds groups, and each group holds the concrete words. Aroma, palate and finish all use the same tree, so you only learn it once.

• Fruity

  Citrus / Orchard Fruit / Berry / Tropical Fruit / Dried Fruit

• Floral

  Flower / Grass & Leaf / Herbal

• Sweet

  Honey & Sugar / Caramel / Confectionery

• Spicy

  Sweet Spice / Hot Spice / Medicinal

• Woody & Nutty

  Oak / Nut / Earthy & Leather

• Smoky

  Smoke / Peat / Coastal

• Malty

  Cereal / Baked / Dairy & Yeast

• Winey

  Sherry / Wine & Spirits

For a first glass, pick one of three directions

You don't need to memorise brands. Whisky splits into a few broad directions, and once you have tried one, the next bottle becomes "sweeter than that" or "smokier than that". Asking for one of the descriptions below is enough to be understood at a bar.

• Sweet, with clear edges

  American bourbon is the easiest example. Vanilla and caramel come through strongly, which is where "picking up an aroma" first clicks. It holds up with a splash of water.

• Floral and gentle

  Much of Speyside in Scotland fits here — flowers, apple and honey, with little bite. A lot of Japanese whisky leans this way too, and it is the easiest direction to pair with food.

• Smoky, with a strong character

  Islay is the classic: smoke, sea air and something medicinal. Opinions divide sharply, but trying it once gives you a personal benchmark for what "no peat" means. Start with a small pour.

Drink at whatever pace suits you — a small pour is enough to write a note. Please respect the legal drinking age where you are.

Food pairings live in the same note

Whisky gets drunk with food too. Recording what you ate alongside it, and rating the match from one to five, is how patterns like "this style works with chocolate" eventually surface. The dish itself is free text.

What shows up if you keep at it

Your notes are visible only to you. As they pile up, the flavours you reach for again and again start to show as a bias. Per-bottle tendencies are also aggregated across everyone's notes in the charts, so you can see whether your impression is the common one.

Write one glass

Three tags and save is already a real note. Anything missing can be edited later.