Whisky tasting is a sensory exercise, and the glassware intimately connects us to our favourite tipple. Have you ever wondered if the change in dimension of the glassware influences the perception of whisky? To test the theory, Sommelier Magandeep Singh conducted a special whisky-tasting session in partnership with Lucaris crystal glassware and Diageo at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi.
Two different styles of single malt, Cragganmore and Lagavulin 16 were chosen for the experiment. Cragganmore is a Speyside whisky with light fruity herbal notes and subtly sweetish malty tinge. And on the other hand, Lagavulin 16 is a very peaty and dry malt.
Bold, complex yet refined, it has burnt tobacco notes with profound elements of brine. For the glassware, we chose double rock glass variant — Hong Kong hip — which is slightly curved with a narrow brim, and Bangkok bliss which has a comparatively wider brim of the same diameter as the bottom of the glass.
First off, we poured a dram of the complex yet balanced Cragganmore in the narrow-brimmed Hong Kong hip. The narrowness helped the cause of accentuating and ushering the aromas on the nose and you are able to easily identify the different notes. On the contrary, when the same whisky was poured in the Bangkok bliss with the wider brim, it in a way lost a bit of those signature aromas. It is interesting how a little more air in the glasses changes things.
We now moved on to the bold and robust Lagavulin 16 and poured in the wide-brimmed Bangkok bliss. You could easily identify the intense, peat-rich, sweet , spicy and smoky aroma on the nose. And finally, when we sniffed the Lagavulin in the Honk Kong hip, the burnt tobacco and briny smokiness turned so strong that it overpowered all other notes. Everybody has their own favourite whisky. You can’t compare whiskys as it is very subjective and personality driven. (The author writes on food and beverage among other things.)