The Ultimate Whisky Tasting Night Checklist

Hosting a whisky tasting night and worrying that you may have forgotten a few key essentials? No problem, I’ve put together my ultimate whisky tasting night checklist to ensure that your night goes without a hitch.

By Greg Dillon

Greg Dillon is the founder of GreatDrams.com, an award-winning independent bottler. A whisky writer and author of The GreatDrams of Scotland, his work focuses on authenticity, production, and whisky as something to be shared.

Having attended, and hosted, more whisky tasting nights than I can even remember over the years, I like to think I know a thing or two about making whisky tasting nights that little bit more magical.

People often assume that whisky tasting nights must consist of smoking jackets, roaring open fires, leather Chesterfield sofas and armchairs, held in a wooden cabin in the middle of the Highlands. If you get the chance to visit a tasting night of that scope, then that’s fantastic, but all you really need is good company, and of course, plenty of drams themselves.

As the host of a whisky tasting night, you’re going to want to wow your guests and make the event as successful as can be. That’s where it pays to get organised. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve hosted a tasting night, only to find out I’ve forgotten several key ingredients, and have had to rush out last minute to pick up a few supplies in a rush. I don’t want this to happen to you.

For that reason, I’m today going to share with you, a few key essentials that I believe really help make a whisky tasting night that little bit more special.

This, is the ultimate whisky tasting night checklist.

Venue

Like I mentioned earlier, you don’t need a wooden lodge or cabin in the middle of the Highlands, complete with wall-mounted stags heads, to host a whisky tasting night. What you do need, however, is a venue.

As the host, it’s likely down to you to sort this out. You could hold it in your home, in your home bar, mancave, she-shed, or your back garden if you get amazingly lucky and manage to avoid the wonderful British rain that everybody likes to talk about so much.

Failing that, you may wish to arrange a function room, a pub, or even a distillery if you can, to really make the experience that much more immersive. Once you have a venue, you can then set a date, and a time.

Glassware

Glassware is something that, I feel, is often overlooked in the world of whisky (more on that at a later date). For a whisky tasting night, I feel that quality glassware is a basic fundamental, that a lot of people tend to miss.

Don’t just raid your kitchen cupboards and bring out any old cups or mugs, try to find some quality nosing glasses. Tulip-shaped Glencairn whisky glasses are fantastic as they’re affordable, they’re authentic, and they really do help to bring out more of a whisky’s character.

Food and Drink

No party, or social gathering, would be complete without food and drink. By drink, I mean something other than whisky.

While you don’t have to host a four-course dinner (you can if you like, particularly around Burns Night) you should really ensure that your guests have plenty of food and drink to hand.

I won’t tell you how to cater your tasting night, but a good selection of buffet-style nibbles and drinks always goes down well. That way, people can help themselves as and when they like. If you can, find out what your guests enjoy eating and drinking, and don’t forget to check for any food allergies, intolerances, or other basic dietary requirements.

Water and Droppers

One thing that I always find fascinating about whisky, particularly a single malt, is just how much of a transformation a little bit of water can make to your dram. Just a few tiny droplets can bring out completely different aromas and tasting notes.

Needless to say, as the host of a whisky tasting night, you’re going to want to ensure that your guests have access to water and water droppers. Don’t just opt for tap water either, as the chlorine can interfere with the palate and alter the way the whisky tastes, and not always in a nice way either. Chilled, filtered water works best, or a Scottish mineral water if you can. Make sure each guest taking part in the tasting has their own water dropper too.

Tasting Notepad and Pens

The whole point of a whisky tasting night is, well, to taste whisky. As you know, a true whisky tasting has many layers, and is about so much more than just the final flavour.

You’ve the appearance and colour, the aroma on the nose, the different flavours on the palate, the mouthfeel, the finish, and a final verdict. That’s a lot to remember, which is why I always provide my guests with a tasting notepad or checklist, and pens so that they can jot down their thoughts after each dram.

While some people may just use their phones, I like to use “physical media” in the form of pens and paper. Sometimes if I feel extra fancy, I’ll create a bit of a list on Canva or Word, and then print one out for each of my guests. I feel this is easier as we can all hand them in at the end of the night and compare notes.

A Theme

As the host, you can host your tasting night as you see fit. Sometimes it’s just a case of sampling a selection of different whiskies at random and seeing which you enjoyed the most, and which you enjoyed the least. Other times, though, you may wish to have a bit of a theme going on.

You could have an American theme for rye and bourbon whiskies from the States, an Irish theme for Irish drams, a Japanese theme for Japanese whiskies, and, well, you get the idea. I sometimes like to go with whiskies by region, or as part of a collection or limited-edition range.

Once you’ve a theme in mind, you can then maybe think about accessorising, or choosing your food and drink based around your theme. You could even enforce a dress code based around it.

The Whisky

Finally, this should go without saying, but you can’t host a whisky tasting night without several drams of the good stuff.

It isn’t down to me to tell you which whiskies to choose because that’s down to you. What I do suggest is at least 5 or 6 drams, with plenty of variety. Look for different cask finishes, different ages, different blends, and different distilleries (unless sticking with the same one for your tasting night theme).

Once you have your whiskies, all that’s left is to pop the stopper, pour a dram, and enjoy yourselves, as that, my friends, is what whisky is all about. Slàinte.

Photo by MARIANNE RIXHON from Pexels

Tags: checklistWhisky Tasting

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.