I love whiskey and drink it often, but I’m still awkward at writing tasting notes or identifying specific flavors. Among my mid-30s friends, I might pass as knowledgeable, but among true enthusiasts – those who’ve spent years tasting and selecting different whiskeys – I’m still at a beginner level.
Whiskey hasn’t become mainstream largely because, like wine, it’s a luxury that you can only appreciate through repeated experience. It’s like coffee – your first taste probably made you think, “Why would anyone drink something this bitter?” But with daily consumption, you learn to distinguish between good and bad coffee. Fortunately, coffee is affordable enough for daily drinking, allowing everyone to develop their palate. Whiskey and wine, being more expensive, remain pleasures for a select few.
Moreover, when you start researching whiskey online, many tasting notes and reviews can be incomprehensible. Reviews are filled with various expressions, and seeing descriptions of tastes I can’t detect sometimes makes me think, “Isn’t this a bit pretentious?”
The first step to enjoying whiskey more deeply is understanding which flavors are generally recognized by everyone and knowing where these flavors come from. Once you understand this, you can better determine which whiskeys suit your taste, and that’s when it becomes fun.
While whiskey is primarily made from two main grains – barley for Scotch and corn for bourbon (though there are many other grains) – its taste varies depending on the type of grain used, aging methods, climate, duration, and barrel type. The type of yeast used in fermentation also affects the taste. In other words, the more clearly you can taste these flavors, the better you can understand how the whiskey was made. You might ask, “What’s the point of knowing that?” But isn’t that what hobbies are about – learning and sharing seemingly useless information for enjoyment?
Today, I’ll discuss the flavors and aromas commonly agreed upon by most whiskey drinkers. As mentioned, I’m still a beginner, so if what I write seems wrong, you’re probably right.
In my personal view, whiskey has 12 distinct flavors. While some might identify additional notes like earth, leather, or tobacco, as a non-smoker, I can’t detect these. Tasting is personal, and these 12 flavors are enough to help me identify and enjoy whiskeys that suit my palate.
Vanilla
Vanilla is one of the most commonly found flavors in whiskey and one of the easiest to identify. While it’s prominent in the aroma, reminiscent of vanilla ice cream, the creamy taste while drinking whiskey most easily evokes vanilla.
The vanilla aroma and taste in whiskey can develop during fermentation, but it mostly comes from the oak barrels used for aging. Whiskey is aged in wooden oak barrels, which contain a compound called vanillin that imparts vanilla flavors and aromas to the spirit. This vanilla flavor is particularly noticeable in American whiskeys, especially bourbons like Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey, because all bourbon must be aged in American oak barrels, which have a high vanillin content.
Additionally, bourbon barrels are legally required to be charred on the inside before the whiskey is added, which promotes the chemical processes that create vanilla flavors.
If you’re drinking a non-bourbon whiskey but still detect strong vanilla notes, there’s a high chance it was aged in bourbon casks. Whiskeys like Glenmorangie and Arran, in particular, tend to have strong vanilla flavors because they’re aged in ex-bourbon casks.
Note: (Many whiskeys are aged in barrels that previously held bourbon. This is because bourbon can legally only be aged once and the barrels cannot be reused. Distilleries in other countries buy these oak barrels for use – but that’s a topic for another article…)
Caramel
Caramel is another flavor frequently mentioned in whiskey tasting. This sweet and smooth taste can be detected both in the aroma and on the palate.
Like vanilla, caramel flavors also originate from whiskey barrels. The wood used for aging whiskey contains natural sugars (as most woods do), and when the inside of oak barrels is charred, the heat caramelizes these sugars, forming a layer on the inside of the barrel. Naturally, these flavors are then absorbed into the whiskey.
Like vanilla, caramel flavors are commonly found in bourbon and American whiskeys, which legally must be aged in charred oak barrels. Therefore, just like vanilla, this flavor can also be detected in Scotch whiskeys aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels.
Cocoa
You might often hear people talking about cocoa flavors in whiskey, but detecting this taste can be quite tricky. It’s typically detected in the finish and comes across as somewhat intense and quite bitter. Of course, it’s even harder to identify this flavor because it’s not sweet like the chocolate we usually eat and drink. In many cases, the vanilla flavor in whiskey often gets connected in our brains as a cocoa taste, because chocolate also contains vanilla. Anyway, in my experience, if you drink whiskey while consciously looking for cocoa flavors, it becomes a bit easier to distinguish in the finish.
This cocoa flavor usually results from long-term aging in heavily charred barrels, and can be found in whiskeys like Old Forester. Of course, there are also whiskeys that have this taste without barrel influence – Glenmorangie Signet, which ages grain roasted like coffee beans, is particularly known for this flavor, and Jameson’s Stout Edition, which is finished in stout beer barrels, also exhibits these notes.
Spicy
If you detect a somewhat spicy sensation in whiskey, it’s often not simply ‘spiciness’ but rather the taste of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. In many cases, when whiskey feels spicy, you can distinguish these specific spice flavors if you focus more carefully. Since it’s not possible to identify every spice, it’s better to simply acknowledge the presence of spice flavors when you detect these notes.
These flavors are most prominent in whiskeys that use a lot of rye grain – in other words, rye whiskeys. This taste can also be obtained when using new charred oak barrels. The reason Maker’s Mark 46 has strong spice flavors is that they add multiple oak staves during aging. Spice flavors are also often strong in Scotch whiskeys that use bourbon-aged oak barrels.
*Oak staves: Oak planks added during aging to enhance whiskey flavors.
Honey
Honey is one of the sweet and smooth flavors and aromas found in many whiskeys. It’s probably one of the first tastes and smells that most people notice in whiskey. The sweet and sticky sensation when drinking whiskey often reminds people of honey. There are several known reasons why whiskey has honey-like aromas and flavors.
First, since the raw material itself uses grain sugars, this process creates honey-like flavors.
Second, when yeast converts sugars into alcohol, it produces compounds similar to honey, and these flavors remind us of honey.
Third, sugars and vanillin extracted from oak barrels, along with vanilla, give a honey-like sensation.
This honey flavor and aroma is particularly prominent in Scotch whiskeys from the Speyside region (e.g., Glenfiddich, Macallan) or Irish whiskeys (e.g., Bushmills). In bourbon whiskey, the natural sugars from corn create a honey-like sweetness, though it’s often subtle and difficult to distinguish whether the sweetness comes from corn or honey.
Oak
Oak is one of the most easily identifiable flavors in whiskey. It’s characterized by a strong woody aroma that anyone can recognize, similar to the smell of sawdust. While oak can be detected in the aroma of most whiskeys, it’s often overshadowed by vanilla and other sweet notes, making it most noticeable in the finish. If you detect a slightly astringent taste at the end, that’s likely the oak flavor.
Naturally, oak flavors come from the oak barrels used in aging, and the longer the aging period, the deeper this flavor becomes.
Smoky
This taste, which could be described as smoky, is highly divisive among whiskey drinkers. Personally, I don’t prefer it much because when the smokiness is too strong, it overwhelms other flavors. Some might ask if this is the same as peat flavor – and yes, it is. Heavily peated whiskeys will always have a smoky character. However, while well-balanced whiskeys often enhance sweetness for me, whiskeys that are just smoky without balance simply don’t suit my taste. I also don’t enjoy when the smoky finish lingers in my mouth for too long.
Sometimes you can find whiskeys that are smoky without peat. This smokiness often comes from aging in charred oak barrels. Jim Beam Black typically shows this characteristic, as does Glendronach 12 Year.
Peat
People often confuse peat and smokiness, mainly because they usually occur together. While you can find smoky whiskeys without peat flavor, if there’s peat, it’s safe to assume there will always be smokiness. Of course, if you want to try peated whiskey with less smokiness, such options exist. Oban is typically considered one of these.
Peat is a type of organic matter found in wetlands, and it’s abundant in Scotland. Many distilleries have historically used peat instead of wood to germinate barley into malt, and during this process, the peat flavor adheres to the whiskey. Peat has a very distinctive flavor – Korean people instantly recognize it when it’s described as “Jeongro-hwan” (a traditional Korean medicine) scent.
As a side note, peat isn’t exclusive to Scotland. It’s distributed worldwide and can even be found in Korea.
Whiskeys with peat flavors maintain their peaty character from start to finish, and interestingly, the stronger the peat flavor, the sweeter the whiskey becomes (at least in my experience). It’s as if the sweetness is emphasized to counterbalance the bitterness of the peat. The most heavily peated Scotch whiskeys are mainly produced in the Islay region of Scotland, with whiskeys like Laphroaig 10, Lagavulin 16, and Ardbeg 10 dramatically demonstrating this style. So if you want to experience peat, these are the whiskeys to try.
Incidentally, many people who become “addicted” to peat end up exclusively seeking whiskeys with peat flavors. That’s how strangely appealing this flavor profile can be.
Corn
When drinking bourbon, if you notice a fundamentally different sweetness from Scotch, that’s the taste of corn. Since bourbon legally must contain at least 51% corn, this flavor is very prominent in bourbon.
Of course, some bourbon whiskeys have very little corn taste. This is because there are bourbons that fill the remaining 49% with other grains. Four Roses, for example, has less of a corn taste compared to other bourbons simply because Four Roses actually uses less corn. This sweet corn flavor can define bourbon’s aroma, and personally, I find Maker’s Mark to have a very pleasant corn aroma. Of course, this is based on personal experience, so it may vary from person to person.
Pepper
Sometimes you can taste spices like pepper in whiskey. This gives a light, tingling sensation on the tongue and throat, but mixed with the alcohol, it doesn’t feel spicy.
This flavor comes from whiskeys that use rye. In other words, you can experience it quite often when drinking rye whiskey. When drinking straight rye whiskey or bourbon mixed with rye, try to focus on whether that tingling sensation might be a pepper taste.
Sometimes this sensation is also created by the interaction between wood and alcohol inside the barrel. Wild Turkey 101, while containing a high rye content, is known to have a stronger pepper taste due to its unique aging process that involves heavily charring the barrels.
Fruit
When you taste fruit in whiskey, it usually refers to dried fruits like raisins, dates, cherries, or plums. Of course, sometimes you might taste fresh fruits like apples or grapes. These fruit flavors typically occur when whiskey is aged in oak barrels that previously held wine. So if you see “sherry cask” or “port wine cask” on the label, you can expect these fruit flavors. Naturally, these flavors come from the wine that has soaked into the oak barrels being transferred to the whiskey, and sometimes these fruit flavors can also come from the type of yeast used in production.
Many friends ask, “What’s so different about sherry cask?” and I often simply answer, “It just has some fruit flavors.” Then when they ask, “Why are sherry casks more expensive?” honestly, I don’t know that either. I don’t really understand what makes sherry casks so special. I guess it’s just expensive due to market forces of supply and demand…
Floral & Herbs
Floral notes refer to flower and herb scents. While saying “flower scent” might sound simple, using the term “floral” sounds more sophisticated, hence the preference for this expression. Floral and herbal notes can be quite subtle, and it’s often unclear whether you’re really detecting flower scents, but you can often notice them after taking time to savor and smell the whiskey.
These flavors are most commonly associated with Japanese whiskeys – when drinking whiskeys like Hibiki or Nikka, you might think, “Hm, is that a flower scent?” Some whiskeys are aged in casks that previously held Moscato wine, and these also exhibit these flavors.
Whiskeys using rye can also have these notes, perhaps because rye itself is a grain with more tart and floral characteristics compared to barley or corn. So if you drink a lot of rye whiskey and detect something like spicy floral notes, you’re probably perceiving it correctly.
So, we’ve looked at 12 different tastes and aromas. As mentioned, I’ve written this from a beginner’s perspective, so it might seem naive to some, but being able to distinguish these flavors means you won’t be considered completely inexperienced with whiskey. Once you know these, you might find yourself mumbling things like “Oh, this has vanilla notes” or “Ah, this is quite smoky!” while drinking whiskey, and you’ll be able to understand what kind of whiskey others are describing in their reviews.
Enjoying whiskey is ultimately a personal experience. Whether you’re a beginner like me or an expert, everyone can enjoy whiskey in their own way. Perhaps someone might discover a 13th or 14th flavor that others haven’t noticed. After all, taste and aroma are subjective experiences that vary based on each person’s background.
