Unusual Whisky Notes Which are Surprisingly Pleasant

One of the many, many things I love about whisky, is the fact that its taste is very much subjective. As you may know, here at Great Drams we regularly provide reviews for all manner of weird and wonderful whiskies from all over the globe. When nosing and tasting these drams, I often get notes which are completely different from other people. Neither of us are wrong, it’s just that those are the notes we get as individuals.

Whereas some people may get heavy notes of toffee apple and honey when nosing a dram, another person may nose that very same dram and get completely different scents and aromas.

When reading whisky reviews, you’ll often come across similar tasting notes and aromas. Things such as mixed berries, oranges, toffee, honey, vanilla, oak, and sometimes smoky notes too. There are other drams, though, that have surprisingly weird tasting notes, which may sound bizarre, and even downright disgusting to some of you, yet somehow, they just work.

Today, I thought I’d highlight some of the slightly more unique and unusual tasting notes associated with some drams, which are actually surprisingly delicious.

Burning Rubber

To most people, the smell of burning rubber is not something they’d particularly enjoy. It’s not a plug in air freshener that’s for sure (though some of those can be pretty grim as well), yet some people happen to really enjoy it.

I must admit, at a Christmas market last year, I did stop to smell a homemade candle that supposed to smell like burning tyres, and to my amazement I really enjoyed it. Which got me thinking. If people can purchase and knowingly enjoy a candle which smells like burnt rubber, why can’t people enjoy whisky which has notes of burning rubber on the nose?

On the nose of smoky drams, particularly Islay expressions, some people pick up smoky notes of burning rubber, which almost gives a savoury note to the whisky. I’ve even had people describe certain drams as smelling like a ‘burning clutch’ though personally I’ve never picked that up. That reminds me, I must book in for a service.

Cigar Smoke

On both the nose, and the palate, cigar smoke is actually a fairly common note for people to pick up in whisky, and it’s very popular too.

Even if you’ve never smoked a cigar before, chances are you’ll be familiar with the smell. Oh, and by the way, I’m talking about proper cigars here, not those awful thin things you used to be able to get out of a machine in pub toilets.

Cigar smoke may not seem that unusual for a heavily peated dram, but recently after enjoying a glass of Singleton 12, which is a Speyside expression renowned for its fruity sherry notes, I definitely got a hint of cigar smoke, both on the nose and the palate.

Iodine

While it isn’t that unusual for whiskies to have medicinal notes to them, Iodine is a note that not too many people tend to pick up.

Iodine has a bitter, slightly metallic taste, similar to rust, or even blood for that matter. While these notes don’t sound especially enticing on their own, in whisky they work surprisingly well.

Our friends over at Master of Malt for example, have previously described the Laphroaig 10 Year Old as tasting like a combination of ‘sticking plasters and iodine, coupled with cool wood smoke’.

While that terminology is generally not something you’d like associated with your products, especially in terms of taste and smell, in the weird and wonderful world of whisky, it’s a good thing.

Pencil Shavings

For many, part of the excitement associated with drinking whisky are the nostalgic memories the drink stirs up.

Some whisky drinkers, myself included, often pick up notes of what can only be described as pencil shavings. You all remember being back at school, chatting to your friend by the bins as you sharpened your pencils to within an inch of their lives, right? Well, if so, you’ll probably remember the smell of the freshly shaved wood from the pencil sharpener.

Some whiskies, especially the heavily oaked ones with strong woody influences, give off strong notes of fresh pencil shavings, which make for a delightfully nostalgic dram.

Pork Crackling

This may sound a little bizarre and out there to some of you, but you’d be surprised by just how many people tend to pick up notes of roasted pork or pork fat/crackling in their whiskies.

Bourbon is a whiskey which is often associated with barbeque, so any roast pork/pork crackling notes in the whiskey should work very well. There are, however, a number of single malt Scotch whiskies out there that also have very similar notes, which work very well together.

Again, it’s the peaty, smoky drams that tend to feature these notes. Lagavulin 16 for example, features fairly dominant notes of roasted pork belly on the nose. Recently, I wrote about pairing smoky whisky with different foods and this is a prime example what you can do with a smoky dram and roasted, barbequed, fatty cuts of meat.

If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at what we have to offer.

With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.

Tags: Unusual Whisky Notes

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.