“Whiskey Yoga” is the process of combining breathing and breath control with your sip, to allow you to fully experience all the nuances in the glass

When it comes to proper whiskey tasting, you must first dispense with the process we learned in college when we were trying to get as drunk as possible, as quick as possible, by chugging shots of inexpensive whiskey like Jack Daniels or (shudder) Southern comfort.

To truly understand and appreciate all the heady characteristics and gloriously subtle nuances of good whiskey, you should approach the dram the same way you do any sensual and pleasurable experience – slowly, deliberately, intentionally. . . and with proper guidance.

Whiskey Yoga

The process I recommend when tasting whiskey, especially if you are new to the genre, or tasting a new whiskey for the first time, is something called “Whiskey Yoga”.  Whiskey Yoga is the process of combining breathing and breath control with your sip, to allow you to fully experience all the nuances in the glass.

Step 1 – Don’t Swirl Your Whiskey

(Ok, this is more of a rule than a step, but it’s really important).

Vigorously swirling the contents of your glass before smelling and tasting it works great for wine, but it’s not optimal for whiskey. Why? Because swirling speeds up the evaporation of alcohol. And while that’s fine for a relatively low alcohol beverage like wine, but with whiskey, all that raw alcohol floating in the glass can overwhelm (and slightly burn) your nose when you sniff it, and cause throat burn as soon as you take a sip. For those who like high proof whiskey, this may not be a bad thing (and some people actually like it), for most folks though, it’s unpleasant and ruins the experience.

Step 2 – The Sniff

Pour an ounce or two of your whiskey into a proper whiskey glass (wider bottom and concave towards the top). Place your nose in, or slightly above the center of the glass and VERY slowly breath in through your nose with your mouth slightly open. This allows you to smell the whiskey with your nose as well as the smell receptors at the top and rear of your mouth.  And the slow breath helps you avoid alcohol burn. Explore and reflect on all the nuances you smell; from the obvious, like caramel, dried fruit, oak, toffee, and roasted nuts, to the more subtle, like herbs, tropical fruit, flowers, honey, ginger and other exotics.

Step 3 – Breath Control and Sip Part One

Take a deep breath through your nose and gently hold the breath. Now take a sip of the whiskey and swallow without exhaling. There should be no alcohol burn. If you feel the burn, then you let some air in during the swallow. No big deal, just try again with another breath and sip.

Step 4 – Breath Control Part Two

Now VERY slowly exhale through your mouth. The taste receptor on your tongue and the roof of your mouth should be alive with all the exquisite nuances of the whiskey. Try to focus on all the different things you taste. Keep your mouth slightly open for another 30 to 60 seconds to see how the flavors continue to develop. The sign of a high-quality whiskey is one that lingers and allows you to keep tasting new things long after the sip.

Step 5 – Reverse Breath Control

This process is similar to steps 3 and 4 except instead of inhaling with the nose and exhaling with the mouth, you exhale through the nose, hold it gently, take a sip, then slowly inhale through the mouth. You should taste even more elements now. Also, since this process gives you some alcohol burn, it will get you more comfortable with alcohol and help you appreciate (if not enjoy) higher proof whiskeys.

If you want to see just how great an effect Whiskey Yoga has on your tasting experience, try drinking a dram the old way, then try the Yoga and see notice vast difference you experience. Another awesome thing about Whiskey Yoga is that it facilitates pairing whiskey with food since it reduces alcohol burn while exposing all the characteristics that will enhance, balance and harmonize with food!

Cheers!