What is the best way to drink a single malt?

Let’s settle the debate for once and for all, How should you be drinking your Single Malt Scotch? Honestly, the candid answer is however you like it! But if you’re looking for a more solid answer than this diplomatic one, you’re at the right place. Read on ahead to learn about the ideal way to drink your Single Malt as approved by whisky aficionados all across the world.

The primary thing to note is that drinking a good scotch is not just about drinking it! You must go through a sequence of important steps to truly enjoy its authentic taste and fantastic aroma. If you want to do it right, You need to pin it down on the dot and start from the very basics.

Serving Temperature

As far as alcohol goes, most beverages are consumed chilled. But Single Malt is no regular beverage and thus demands a serving style of its own. WHiskies and Scotches are ideally consumed at room temperature to completely absorb the flavor and fragrance of the premium liquor you are about to experience.

Serving vessel

You might be thinking to yourself, I don’t need to know what glass I should use, I have seen enough Bond movies to know it's the whisky Tumbler! Well, we hate to break it to you, but you might be wrong about this. When asked, almost all scotch connoisseurs will suggest drinking from a Tulip-shaped glass. It's because a tulip-shaped glass has a longer neck which allows the aroma to accumulate and enhance the drinking experience.

The Color

The next step is to observe the color of your Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The maturation method of any scotch can be determined by its color. Interestingly, a lot of people are misinformed that color is an indicator of age. Whereas in reality the drinks golden in color are matured in sherry casks whereas the paler ones are in ex-bourbon casks.

“The Legs”

Now that you have observed everything you could, it's time to finally touch the glass!. Next, you hold it from its stem and give it a gentle swirl before making it still again. When the glass settles, you will observe the “legs” of the liquor seeping down inside the glass. These legs are determiners of a Scotch’s age. The longer the legs take to reach the bottom, the older the drink is.

The Aroma

We know by now you are very impatient and tempted to drink the scotch you’ve been savoring for some time in your head. But wait, just one teensy little step before your tongue touches the divinity you ordered. The next step in the process is to let your nose taste it before your tongue. You need to hold your glass away from your face and slide it from under your nose while breathing it to deduce the elements best. When you take a whiff, register the notes in your brain and try to think what they remind you of. It's as simple as that!

Finally the First Sip!

Now that you have been so patient, it's time to finally taste your Single Malt Scotch. But wait! Don’t gulp it straightaway, savour it! When you take the first sip, you should hold it in your mouth for some time to absorb all the flavors and aromas alike and then let it go down your throat. We know holding it in can be a little tough, especially for beginners, but it’ll eventually get easier and with time will be able to differentiate between various drinks from the first taste.

Mixers?

This is a controversial question, should you mix your single malt with anything? Here’s what we think about it. Ideally, a Single Malt should be taken neat to avoid compromising its taste. But adding some spring water can also enhance its taste so experts suggest taking the first sip neat and then adding about one-fifth of spring water to the drink for the best taste. Other mixers are strongly frowned upon by whisky purists who also happen to hate ice with scotch. 

To recapitulate, Single Malt is a fine concoction no matter how you drink it, its most authentic experience, however, can be achieved if you follow our aforementioned steps. That being said, you do you! Because ultimately, a drink is the best as the taster prefers it! So what are you waiting for? Order some of that heavenly Single Malt from an online whisky store and sip it like we just told you.