Recording Tasting Notes

Tasting notes help you remember your whisky experiences and track your preferences over time.

Why Record Tastings?

Without tasting notes, MyWhiskyVault is just an inventory record management system. You might just as well use a spreadsheet for that (and I suspect many of you already do). Capturing Tasting Notes opens up a whole range of features for you, and contributes to the overall health of the system by providing anonymous tasting data to other users.

Some of the things that creating Tasting Notes will do for you are:

• Help you to derive your preferred flavor profile based on the combination of the flavor profiles you entered with the scores you entered for each whisky.

• Help you remember what a whisky tasted like the last time you tried it. Granted, you could keep "reminding yourself" at regular intervals, but eventually that bottle's going away to the "dead soldiers" bin and then you will forget what that whisky tasted like. We aren't getting any younger, and memories can get fuzzy quickly.

• Provide input data for your Find Me a Whisky feature.

• Finally, and most importantly, your tasting notes will help other users to possibly find their next favorite whisky. Remember, all tasting notes that are shared are anonymous. No one will be able to troll you, dissing your tasting notes, so be free honest with your own tasting notes to provide the community an accurate representation of the expression you just enjoyed.

Benefits of Tasting Notes:

📝 Remember Experiences

• Recall favorite drams years later

• Remember what you liked/disliked about each whisky

📊 Track Preferences

• Discover patterns in what you enjoy

• Guide future purchases

🔄 Monitor Evolution

• Track how whisky changes after opening

• Compare first pour to last pour

🤝 Share with Community

• Help others discover great whiskies

• Learn from other tasters' experiences

💰 Make Better Purchases

• Avoid buying whiskies you won't enjoy

• Identify favorite distillers and styles

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Creating a Tasting Note

1

For Bottles in Your Collection

Navigate to the bottle:

• Go to My Vault

• Find the bottle you're tasting

• Click on it to open details

Click "Add Tasting" (button on the bottle detail page)

2

Fill in the Tasting Form

The form is organized into sections — fill in as much or as little as you like.

Event Details

Date (defaults to today)

• When did you taste it?

• Can backdate if recording past tastings

Occasion (optional)

• What was the event?

• Examples:

  • "Quiet evening at home"

  • "Friend's birthday party"

  • "Whisky club meeting"

  • "Comparing Islays"

💡 Tip: The occasion helps you remember the context later!

3

Visual Assessment

Color

• Describe what you see (Examples: "Deep amber", "Pale gold", "Rich mahogany", "Copper")

Legs (optional)

• How the whisky runs down the glass (Examples: "Thick and slow", "Thin and fast", "Medium viscosity")

4

Nose (Aroma)

Description

• What do you smell? Be descriptive and creative.

• Examples:

  • "Vanilla, oak, dried fruit, hint of smoke"

  • "Like fresh-cut grass and green apple"

  • "Honey, cinnamon, leather"

Score (0-100)

• How much did you enjoy the nose?

• Scale:

  • 0-50: Unpleasant or lacking

  • 50-70: Acceptable

  • 70-85: Good

  • 85-95: Excellent

  • 95-100: Exceptional

5

Palate (Taste)

Description

• What flavors do you taste? Note the mouthfeel.

• Examples:

  • "Honey sweetness, spicy pepper, citrus notes"

  • "Creamy and full-bodied with dark chocolate"

  • "Light and delicate with floral notes"

Score (0-100)

• Same scale as nose

6

Finish

Description

• What lingers after swallowing? How long does it last?

• Examples:

  • "Long, warm finish with oak and spice"

  • "Short, sweet finish with vanilla"

  • "Medium finish, slight bitterness, pleasant warmth"

Score (0-100)

• Same scale as nose and palate

7

Overall Impression

Notes (optional)

• Free-form thoughts about the experience

• Questions to consider:

  • Would you buy it again?

  • How does it compare to similar whiskies?

  • Any surprises?

  • Best served how? (neat, with water, on ice)

Overall Score (0-100)

• Your final rating — doesn't have to be an average of nose/palate/finish; based on the total experience

8

Save Your Tasting

• Click "Save Tasting"

• Appears in your tasting journal

• Linked to the bottle

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Understanding Flavor Profiles

MyWhiskyVault uses 8 flavor categories to help you visualize whisky character.

The 8 Flavor Categories

Rate each from 0-12 (0 = not present, 12 = very strong):

• Cereal (0-12)

  • Malty, grainy, bready notes (Malted barley, toast, porridge)

  • Common in: Lighter malts, grain whiskies

• Fruity (0-12)

  • Citrus, orchard fruits, tropical fruits (Apple, pear, orange, banana, berries)

  • Common in: Many Speyside malts

• Floral (0-12)

  • Perfumed, fragrant, floral notes (Rose, heather, lavender, jasmine)

  • Common in: Delicate, refined whiskies

• Peaty (0-12)

  • Smoky, earthy, medicinal notes (Smoke, ash, iodine, seaweed, tar)

  • Common in: Islay whiskies like Laphroaig, Ardbeg

• Feinty (0-12)

  • Oily, waxy, savory notes (Lanolin, wax, meat, leather)

  • Common in: Full-bodied malts

• Sulphery (0-12)

  • Matchstick, rubbery notes; often from cask influence (Struck match, rubber, cooked vegetables)

  • Common in: Some sherry-cask whiskies

• Woody (0-12)

  • Oak, vanilla, spice from barrel aging (Vanilla, coconut, cinnamon, clove, sandalwood)

  • Common in: All aged whiskies, especially bourbon-cask

• Winey (0-12)

  • Sherry, port, wine cask influence (Dried fruit, raisins, plums, berries)

  • Common in: Sherry-cask finished whiskies

How to Use Flavor Profiles

• Don't overthink it — trust your palate; there are no wrong answers.

• Start simple: Is there smoke? → Rate Peaty. Is it sweet/vanilla? → Rate Woody. Is it fruity? → Rate Fruity.

• Use sliders to set intensity; you can always adjust later.

• Compare profiles after several tastings to see preferred flavor categories and patterns.

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Virtual Bottles

Tasting whisky that's not in your collection? Use Virtual Bottles!

When to Use Virtual Bottles

• Tasting at a friend's house

• Trying samples at a bar or restaurant

• Whisky tasting events

• Samples from online orders

• Bottles you're considering buying

1

Creating a Virtual Bottle — Start

Start a new tasting:

• From main menu → "Tasting Notes"

• Click "Add Tasting" → "Create Virtual Bottle"

2

Enter Basic Information

Since you don't own the bottle, enter text descriptions:

• Distiller Name: Who made it? (e.g., "Glenfiddich")

• Expression Name: What whisky is it? (e.g., "18 Year Old")

• Owner (optional): Whose bottle? (e.g., "John's collection", "Highland Tavern")

• ABV (optional): If known

• Age (optional): Age statement if known

3

Record the Tasting

• Use the same tasting form as regular bottles

• Fill in your impressions

4

Save

• Virtual bottle and tasting saved together

• Appears in tasting journal

💡 Tip: Use virtual bottles to track whiskies you want to buy later!

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Viewing Your Tasting Journal

Access Your Journal:

• Click "Tasting Notes" in main menu

What You'll See:

• Chronological list of all tastings (physical and virtual)

• Sorted by date (newest first)

• Quick view of scores and notes

View Options:

List View:

• All tastings in one list

• Search and filter

• Sort by date or score

By Bottle:

• See all tastings for a specific bottle

• Track how whisky evolves over time

• Compare scores

Filters:

• Filter by date range

• Filter by distiller

• Filter by score range

• Search by keywords

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Editing and Deleting Tastings

Editing a Tasting

When to edit:

• Noticed a mistake

• Want to add more detail

• Change your rating after reflection

1

How to edit:

• Find tasting in your journal

• Click "Edit"

• Update any fields

• Save changes

Deleting a Tasting

1

To delete:

• Find tasting in journal

• Click "Delete"

• Confirm deletion

⚠️ Note: Deleted tastings cannot be recovered.

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Sharing Tastings

Make your tastings visible to the MyWhiskyVault community!

Why Share?

• Help Others: Guide others to great whiskies

• Build Community: Contribute to collective knowledge

• Get Feedback: See if others agree with your notes

• Discover Whiskies: See what others are tasting

How to Share

When creating a tasting:

• Check "Share this tasting" box

• Save as normal

For existing tastings:

1. Edit the tasting

2. Check "Share this tasting"

3. Save

What Gets Shared?

Shared:

• Your tasting notes and scores

• Flavor profiles

• Distiller and expression information

Not Shared:

• Your personal bottle details

• Purchase prices

• Storage location

• Your full profile

Making Tastings Private Again

1. Edit the tasting

2. Uncheck "Share this tasting"

3. Save

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Tips for Great Tasting Notes

🍷 Use Proper Glassware

Recommended:

• Glencairn glass (tulip-shaped)

• Copita glass

• Any tulip or wine glass

Why:

• Concentrates aromas

• Easier to nose

• Enhances tasting experience

Avoid:

• Tumbler or rocks glasses for tasting (they're fine for casual drinking!)

💧 Consider Adding Water

Benefits:

• Opens up the whisky

• Releases more aromas

• Reduces alcohol burn

• Reveals hidden flavors

How much:

• Start with just a few drops

• Add gradually

• Some whiskies need more than others

💡 Tip: Note in your tasting if you added water!

🕐 Take Your Time

Tasting sequence and pacing:

1

Look

• Observe color and legs (30 seconds)

2

Nose

• Smell without drinking (1–2 minutes)

3

Taste

• Small sip, let it coat mouth (10–15 seconds)

4

Finish

• Swallow and note the finish

5

Repeat

• Take 2–3 more sips before rating

• Between sips: wait 30–60 seconds to let palate reset and notice evolution

📝 Be Descriptive

Good descriptions:

• "Smells like fresh-baked apple pie with cinnamon"

• "Tastes of honey drizzled over toasted oak"

• "Finish is long and warming, like a campfire"

Avoid generic:

• "Smells good", "Tastes like whisky", "Normal finish"

Use comparisons:

• "Reminds me of..."

• "Similar to..."

• "Like..., but with..."

📊 Track Progress

• Re-taste bottles when first opened, after 1 month, after 6 months to see oxidation effects

• Compare similar whiskies (different expressions from same distiller, similar age statements from different distillers, different barrel finishes)

• Develop your palate: start broad (sweet, smoky, fruity), then become more specific over time

🤝 Taste with Friends

• Group tastings: compare notes, learn descriptors, discover missed nuances, socialize

• Blind tastings: hide bottles, taste without preconceptions, reveal and discuss — often surprising results!

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Related Guides

• Managing Bottles - Add bottles to taste

• Tips & Tricks - Advanced tasting techniques

• Distillers & Expressions - Learn about different whiskies

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Last Updated: 2025-11-16