Understanding Whisky Flavour Profiles

Where do smoky flavours come from in whisky? What does Sherried mean? Where are the fruity notes added? These are all legitimate questions for anyone reading whisky tasting notes these days. In this guide we break down what different flavour descriptors mean, where they come from in the whisky making process and try to shed some light on the complex world of whisky flavour profiles. For the purpose of this article, we will use the following definitions:

• Aromas - compounds that we smell. The nose of a whisky.
• Tastes - sensations our tongues detect, namely sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
• Flavours - a combination of both aromas and tastes. This is what we experience when we taste a whisky.

Here at The Whisky Club, we source exclusive batches of whisky from the most celebrated brands in the world. Whether you like a smooth and fruity malt, a Sherry bomb or a peat monster, there is no better place to curate a whisky collection than with us at The Club. Sign up today for free.

What is a whisky flavour profile

A whisky flavour profile is a description of the aromas and flavours someone identifies in a glass of whisky. Every whisky in the world is made from a combination of water, grain and yeast. These combine and interact throughout the distillery to create aroma, taste and flavour compounds, many of which remind us of objects and experiences we find in the world around us. It is this triggering of memories that make whisky such a powerful social lubricant.

Where whisky flavour actually comes from

There are so many places that the aromas and flavours of our favourite drams come from. Every decision made by a brewer, distiller, cooper, Whiskymaker and bottler can have a profound effect on the way we perceive a whisky. Here we break down the main factors and the extent to which they present in a glass of good whisky.

For an in-depth look at whisky production methods, check out The Whisky Club's guide to making whisky.

The grain

The raw ingredients play a big part in the flavour profile of whisky. The type of grain, how they have been processed and whether any smoke has been introduced to the drying stage all help shape what we taste in our glasses.

First of all, the raw grains will contribute a cereal flavour to a whisky. Different grains will impart subtly different notes. Corn tends to be sweeter with a hint of rubber. Malted barley leaves a toasted cereal note and rye can be a bit darker and richer in aroma. If you want to experience this, take your favourite whisky and pour a little in the palm of your hand. Rub your hands dry and have a sniff. You will detect the cereal notes left behind by the grains in the mashbill.

Secondly, if a grain has been smoked during the drying (or kilning) phase of malting, then this smoke will be present in the final product. Where the smoke comes from plays a huge part in the character of the final product. Peat from Islay gives a medicinal smoke, mainland peat gives notes of smoked meat and peat from the Orkneys gives a heather-honey smoke. Other fuels will impart other distinct characteristics.

The smokiness of a batch of grain is expressed using the term PPM (or parts per million). 2 PPM is detectable with 40PPM the average for the smokiest Scotch whiskies available. You can read more about PPM and how it affects a whisky here.

Did you know? Peat is a young fossil fuel (~11,000 years old) found in Scotland. Distillers burn it under barley during the malting process to impart smoky flavours. The aromatic smoke sticks to the grain and is evident in the final whisky bringing aromas of bonfire smoke, TCP and smoky bacon.

The Whisky Club's guide to whisky making ingredients is a good place to dig deeper into types of cereal.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the process of converting sugar from the grain into alcohol. This is done with the addition of yeast. Yeast eats sugar and converts it into alcohol, carbon dioxide and flavour molecules. These molecules remind us of aromas and flavours we find in nature because they are the same molecules, they are just created in a different way.

So when we say a whisky is fruity, or floral, there is a very good chance the molecules you are detecting are the same ones found in fruits and flowers.

The length of the fermentation, the type of fermentation vessel (wooden or stainless steel), the yeast strain and the temperature will all affect how the yeast reacts and the types of flavour it creates. These days, many yeasts are selected for their efficiency in creating alcohol, but some distillers will change strains to create a different flavour profile. They will also play with temperatures and length of fermentations to maximise their desired flavour profiles.

The Stills

Still type, still height, still design and how the stills are run all have a huge impact on flavour. Strap in here as we are about to get technical.

The main thing to think about is copper. Copper is a great conductor of heat, it's malleable and most importantly, it removes impurities (think sulphury aromas) from a spirit. By reacting with the molecules in the spirit, it breaks heavy notes into lighter ones. For example, meaty notes can become fruity, fruity notes can become floral. Basically, the more copper contact, the lighter and fruitier a spirit will be.

Still type

Continuous stills used for distilling grain whiskies will often deliver a thinner mouthfeel and less weight in the final product due to the high alcohol content of their outputs (often 94% ABV+). They deliver ethereal notes and a clean sweetness in a whisky.

Pot stills, like those needed for making single malt whisky, each add their own fingerprint to a spirit. That is because different still shapes and designs will cause the contents of the still to travel in different ways up the neck and towards the condenser. Regardless of the still shape, the resulting spirit will be more characterful and fuller bodied than one from a continuous still due to the difference in design and operation.

Still height

Tall stills like those at Glenmorangie (the tallest in Scotland) and The Glenlivet will deliver more light and fruity notes over their neck. This is because heavier, oilier components don't have the energy to reach the top of the still. These heavy notes interact with the copper on the way up, the copper breaks them into smaller molecules which run back into the base of the still. They then re-evaporate and due to their new, smaller size, can make it over the neck. This process is known as reflux.

On the other hand, shorter, squatter stills like those at The Macallan and Aberlour will deliver more heavy and viscous notes often translating to a cereal character in the final product. This is because there is less of a physical height to overcome, so heavier molecules can make it up and over the neck of the still without the need to break down.

Still design

Boil balls, lantern necks, purifiers, water jackets and lyne arm angles can all be used to try and shape the character of a spirit. Basically, anything that maximises copper contact or makes a still seem taller will have a lightening effect on the character of the spirit. Rising and horizontal lyne arms; cooling jackets; purifier pipes; boil balls and lantern necks will all make a still seem taller.

On the other hand, plunging lyne arms and straight neck stills will encourage a heavier style of spirit as the heavier molecules can make it over the still more easily.

Condensers

The type of condensers and the temperature of cooling water will also affect the character and therefore flavour of the final spirit. Worm tubs, which are essentially copper coils in baths of water through which the spirit vapours flow offer less copper contact resulting in heavier spirits; shell and tube condensers contain far more copper, so create a lighter style of spirit. Running condensers with very cold water will speed up the condensation of the spirit, resulting in less copper contact. Using warmer water will have the opposite effect.

Spirit cuts

Finally, no matter the shape or design of the stills, the distiller can pick where to "cut" the spirit. This is the act of removing the start and end of a spirit run to remove impurities and to only capture the aromas and flavours the Whiskymaker desires in their final product. Early cuts result in lighter, fruitier whiskies, late cuts give more cereal and malty notes. More time between cutpoints deliver a more complex flavour profile whereas less time will deliver a more intense flavour profile in a certain area of the flavour spectrum. Peat always comes through late in a spirit.

The cask

To many people the cask is the ultimate flavour creator. There is a reason cask types are called out on most whisky labels. Casks are great because they add flavour and colour to a whisky (this is the literal transfer of flavour molecules from the cask to the liquid); they remove unwanted compounds like notes of immaturity or sulphur through the process of evaporation (this is called the Angels' Share); and they introduce oxygen to the spirit which will break down flavour compounds over time, creating an even more complex spectrum of aromas and flavours. These are the main factors that affect the cask influence in a whisky:

Oak type

European oak is very dark and tannic, this brings more dried fruit and chocolate flavours to a whisky. American oak is lighter and contributes flavours of vanilla and lemon citrus.

Heat treatment

Casks are usually toasted or charred before being filled. The length of time, temperature of the flame and proximity of the flame to the oak will affect how the flavour compounds in the oak develop. This is the hidden trick of flavour manipulation the cooper has up their sleeve.

Cask size

The smaller a cask, the more intense the additive maturation. Think of it like this... if you introduce a teabag to hot water in a mug and an espresso cup, which one will go darker quicker?

Number of fills

Casks can be used more than once for whisky. Each use will strip more colour and flavour from the vessel. Therefore a refill cask will be more spirit forward in character. To take our teabag analogy from above further, imagine using a teabag to make 1, 2 or even 3 cups. Each one will taste different to the last as the teabag becomes exhausted.

Previous contents

if a cask has held a spirit before, there will be less flavour to give as the previous spirit will have stripped more from the cask due to its high ABV. If it has held a wine (like a Sherry), then there will be more colour and flavour available as the lower alcohol level of the Sherry will have removed less from the wood. There may also be what we call in-drink, this is a small remnant of the previous contents left in the wood which will add a new dimension to the whisky. A good way to experience this is to try a rum cask finished whisky.

There is no doubt that the cask is an important part of the puzzle and the most recognisable influence, but it needs to integrate and compliment all of the other elements that make a whisky unique. Check out The Whisky Club's guide to Casks for more in-depth knowledge.

Age and climate

The time a whisky spends in a cask will also have a profound effect on it. Most Scotch whiskies need to mature in oak for at least three years. The age on a bottle is the youngest whisky in the bottle. The longer a whisky matures, the more flavour it will absorb and the more complex it will get. Whether an older whisky is better is a matter of personal preference, but whether time makes a difference is absolutely clear.

The climate the cask matures in will also play a part. Put a whisky in a hot and humid climate and the extraction from the oak will be intense. It will also lose alcohol quickly through intense evaporation. Put it in a dry environment and the alcohol levels will increase as more water evaporates from the cask. Or if you put it in a colder part of your warehouse, the maturation will be slow and mellow. The best Whiskymakers will know this and adjust their maturation practices accordingly.

The benefits of longer maturation are clear. A 20+ year old Scotch will have aromas and flavours that need 20+ years to create. The complexity, delicacy and quality is evident from the first sniff. However, if a cask is too active, and adds too much influence, it can completely overpower the spirit hiding all of the work done by the yeast, the distiller and father time leaving you with a glass of liquid oak.

Therefore, when ageing a whisky for a lengthy period, it is important to think of all of the above factors and monitor the whisky through its life. Shifting it to a less active cask or moving it to a colder climate are two ways to manage the balance of the spirit. On the other hand, shifting an underperforming cask to a hot part of the warehouse or to a new more active cask can also be beneficial.

As you can see, it is important to remember that the best whiskies are balanced. Therefore, the best distillers, cellar masters and blenders will use every tool at their disposal to create a balanced stock profile. This means they will fill a mixture of cask types, usually they will have a proportion of refill casks to balance their first fills, they will fill a combination of cask sizes and oak types and they may even decide where a whisky needs to mature to give it a boost.

The main whisky flavour families

Whisky production has so many opportunities for flavour creation and manipulation. Ingredients, process, casks, climate and time all play a significant part in what we can taste in our glass. Combined they can create an almost endless combination and spectrum of flavours. To make things a little easier, here are the main flavour categories and examples of whiskies featured by The Whisky Club that fall into each.

Smoky and peaty

Check out these whiskies: Laphroaig, Highland Park and Talisker.

This is by far the most polarising and recognisable flavour profile. The whisky in the glass can smell smoky, medicinal, coastal and intense. The flavour comes from smoke passed through the grain or from a smoky cask.

Fruity

Check out these whiskies: The Glenlivet 14 year old Cask Strength; The Glendronach Oloroso 2013 Vintage; Loch Lomond Sauternes 2013

Fruity whiskies are usually bright, vibrant and juicy in flavour. The whole spectrum of fruity notes can be created. Orchard fruits are often the result of whisky fermented in stainless steel for a short period. These can break down into stone fruits and tropical fruits after long ageing. Dried fruits are imparted by European Oak Sherry casks. Orange citrus can be found in the new make spirit; lemony notes can be imparted from ex-Bourbon barrels and grapefruit notes tend to develop over time in cask. Virgin American oak can bring aromas of candied cherries. Finally, berry notes can result from wine or Port casks.

Sweet and honeyed

Check out these whiskies: Aberlour Vintage and The Balvenie Single Barrel

Sweet and honeyed whiskies tend to be full bodied whiskies with a balance between ex-Bourbon casked whiskies and Sherry casks. The honey notes can be a result of distilling in short stills, the traditional Highland method.

Sherried and Spicy

Check out these whiskies: Benriach Triple Sherry and Bushmills Causeway Collection Oloroso

There are two definitions of spicy whiskies. Some people use the term spicy to indicate alcohol heat. We like to think of baking spices such as nutmeg, clove and ginger. These notes are most often found in whiskies matured in Sherry casks. Check out The Whisky Club's guide to Sherry and Sherry casks for more info.

Woody and vanilla

Check out these whiskies: Jack Daniels Single Barrel

One of the major flavour contributors from American oak is a compound called vanillin. This contributes vanilla aromas and flavours to whisky. For Scotch, anything that is matured in ex-Bourbon barrels will likely have loads of vanilla aromas and flavours. If you want to experience oaky or woody notes in isolation, then we suggest having a look at an American whiskey. The use of virgin oak casks when maturing Bourbon ensure the vanilla and oaky notes appear at their intense best.

Malty and cereal

Check out these whiskies: The Macallan Harmony Collection: Amber Meadow and Benromach Single Cask 10 Year Old

Malty and cereal notes come from the grains used to make the whisky. They often present as Milo or biscuity flavours and are the result of heavier style of distillation: short stills, worm tubs and cold cooling water can all create a malty style of whisky. Traditional Highland whiskies in Bourbon casks will often show a malty character.

Floral and grassy

Check out these whiskies: Sullivan's Cove Double Cask and Glengoyne Mizunara Cask

Floral notes include lavendar, rose, vanilla and lilac. They are the result of light distillations with early cut points. Traditional Lowland whiskies often carry these notes, most notably Kingsbarns and Rosebank. Grassier notes come at the other end of the distillation process and are often the result of using worm tubs. These notes break down into spearmint and melon notes over time in the cask.

Briny and coastal

Check out these whiskies: Glen Scotia and Ardnamurchan

Coastal and briny notes are often the result of making whisky by the sea. Sea breeze, salted caramel and crustacean are all popular descriptors in briny whiskies. There is a healthy debate regarding where in the process these notes come from. Whether it is from fermantation, distillation or maturation, one thing we can be certain of is that whiskies made by the sea tend to have aromas and flavours that remind us of the coast.

How flavour profiles differ across whisky styles

Scotch single malt

Single malt Scotch whiskies (and single malts from other countries) need to be made using 100% malted barley and distilled in some form of pot still. This gives each of them, regardless of provenance, a cereal backbone and thick mouthfeel. The spectrum of flavours present is vast, and varied across brands, but the mouthfeel is distinct. The other distinct thing about a single malt is that it must come from a single distillery, and therefore will capture the character, location and style of the place.

Blended Scotch

Blended Scotch whisky will have a proportion of grain whisky in the makeup. Grain whisky is distilled to over 94% alcohol by volume and therefore have a much lighter, thinner and ethereal flavour profile. Therefore, some people find them smoother than single malts. Blended Scotches also contain whisky from many different grain and malt distilleries, therefore the flavour profile can be more complex, more rounded and less distinct than that of a single malt. Find out the difference between single malts and blends in our guide.

Irish whiskey

Irish whiskey tends to be triple distilled and completely unpeated. This leads to Irish whiskey tending to have a lighter style of spirit with no smoke. Irish blends like Black Bush or Jameson will have a similar mouthfeel to a Scottish blend. An Irish pot still whiskey will have a similar mouthfeel to a Scotch single malt, but with a creamy and peppery flavour and an Irish single malt like Bushmills will be a similar mouthfeel to a Scotch single malt, but with a lighter flavour profile.

Bourbon and American whiskey

Many American whiskies, including Bourbons have an intensity of flavour from the wooden barrels they are matured in. Most are matured in virgin oak casks. These intense oak casks give lots of woody notes, an intense vanilla profile and rich cherry-like fruity profiles. In terms of mouthfeel, they sit between malt and grain whiskies. Smooth, but with a bit of body. If a rye whiskey, then expect a peppery flavour. Tennessee whiskey will veer towards a smoother mouthfeel due to the Lincoln County process of filtering through charcoal. Read more about it on our Jack Daniel's distillery page. 

Japanese whisky

Japanese whiskies in many ways mirror Scotch whiskies in terms of the technology used to create them. Where they differ is in their approach to blending. Japanese malts will have a creamy mouthfeel like a Scotch single malt, but many would argue their complexity and elegance is on another level.

How to use a whisky flavour wheel when tasting

Whisky flavour wheels have been developed by whisky industries to help develop a universal tasting language. These are useful when working in a team, and the industry standards can really help you develop a tasting language. When approaching a whisky for the first time, it can often be useful to identify a broad flavour range and then narrow it down. So you may identify our Glenlivet 14 Cask Strength as a particularly fruity whisky. With this in mind, you might then go searching for types of fruit. If you identify orchard fruits, you may land on green apple. A second nose might identify citrus, particularly lemon. So the wheel can be very useful to help you home in on a particular tasting note.

How to identify flavours in your own dram

Everyone approaches whisky differently, but let me share some notes from my time as a Master Blender. I liked to have a few good noses of a whisky before tasting. First have a nose with your mouth closed, then go back and have a sniff with mouth open. This will soften the blow and may reveal more subtle aromas.

The first pass I'm looking for anything particularly wrong. Is it sulphury, acetic, earthy, corked or overly acetone?

The second pass I'm looking for smoke. Is it peaty? If so, how peaty?

The third I'm looking for oaky notes. Is it dried fruit? Is there an abundance of vanilla? Or is it particularly immature and spirit driven? Any other notes that indicate oak type?

Then I'd stick my nose right in and see if I can find anything unusual, interesting or surprising. If I found smoke, I'd be seeking for notes of bonfire, peat, TCP or crustacean. If fruity, I'll go looking for tropical, citrus, orchard or berry fruits. If oaky, then is it toasted, vanilla, dried fruit or mint. Essentially, working my way from the outside of the flavour wheel to the centre.

When I sip, I'll hold the whisky on my tongue for a few seconds to see what develops. Here I will work out the depth (how far back on the tongue does the whisky travel), the lift (is it a river on the tongue or a cloud of flavour above it) and the length (how long does the flavour last?)

Then I'll add a few spots of water and repeat. More water can be added, but remember you need a still, a cask and years to remove it...

Frequently asked questions about whisky flavour profiles

What does peated whisky actually taste like?

Peated whisky tends to taste smoky. A good peaty whisky will have a balance of sweetness and perhaps fruitiness, but the most recognisable flavours will be at the smoky end of the spectrum. Whiskies smoked with Islay peat tend to have notes of bonfire, TCP and crustacean. Mainland peat tends to lend notes more akin to barbecued meat, burning grass and bonfires. And Orkney peat has a heather-honey smoke with a bonfire in the background. 

Why does some whisky taste like vanilla and caramel?

Some whisky tastes like vanilla and caramel due to the heat treatment of the oak casks they are matured in. Applying heat, whether through toasting or charring will transform the flavours in the casks. The burnt wood from the charring process will contain caramelised sugars from the heat treatment. In addition American oak contains a compound called vanillin. This tastes like vanilla.

What gives whisky its sherry flavour?

The Sherry flavour we recognise is not necessarily from the Sherry used to season a cask, but more often from the oak with which the cask is made. European oak from France or the north of Spain is more tannic than American oak, and gives notes of dark chocolate, dried fruit and nuttiness. For dry style Sherries like Oloroso and Fino, the oak is the main source of flavour. For sweet Sherries like Pedro Ximenez, the wine has a bigger effect. 

Does older whisky always taste better?

Not necessarily. Older whisky will generally be more complex as the aromas and flavours have broken down over time in the cask creating layers of flavour. But if the aromas and flavours were out of balance or undesirable to begin with, then the change may not necessarily be for the better. For example, if the whisky is stored in an overly-active cask, the wood flavours may overpower the spirit character leaving the dram tasting dry and oaky. This is why cask management is important.

Why can't I pick out specific flavours when I taste whisky?

Identifying aromas and flavours in whisky is as much about language as it is about ability to smell. Most humans have a great ability to detect aromas, but have not had the practice of turning these aromas into descriptors. Our advice is to read the tasting notes and see if you can identify them in the glass. Having the actual item identified might also help. Vanilla essence, fresh fruit, leather, iodine dried fruits, coffee, dark chocolate and toasted nuts are just a few of the items you might have lying about the house that can give you a base aroma.

What's the difference between aroma and flavour in whisky?

Aroma is specifically the smell of a whisky, what the nose picks up. There are an almost infinite number of aromas detectable by the human nose. Taste is what the tongue picks up. The 5 tastes we know of are salt, sweet, bitter, sour and umami (meaty). Flavour is the combination of the sense of smell and the sense of taste.

Does adding water to whisky change the flavour?

Adding water to a whisky is one of the quickest and most effective ways to change the aroma and flavour of a whisky. Adding a single drop of water a whisky will upset the balance between the alcohol and water molecules. It will also dilute the whisky to a level where new aroma molecules come out of solution. This is a fancy way of saying a spot of water will open up a whisky and allow new smells and flavours to be detected.

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