When fear of getting it wrong trumps trying, she said...

SHE SAID:  Maybe it's my personality, or maybe it's because I fear little in life.  I tend to conquer my fears.  Might embarrass myself when I reveal this but I had a deep seeded fear of worms right up until my 40th birthday.  Yes, WORMS.... One of my birthday cards stated "do something that scares you, every day".  So not long after, while I was walking to work there were worms everywhere on the sidewalk. I sidestepped quickly but stopped, turned around and went back. With a knot in my stomach, I bent down and picked up a worm.  It was disgusting, it felt absolutely slimy and I probably squirmed more that it did.  BUT, after I dropped it, I walked to work that day with the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment.

On Sunday October 14th, I watched a man named Felix Baumgartner become the only person to jump from 128,100 feet, free fall until he hit Mach 1.24, pop a parachute, float safely to the ground and LIVE.  Makes my worm story look even more silly :)  I sat with knot in my stomach as I watched him stand on the edge looking at the world below him, I can't even begin to imagine what fears he might have had.  There was a high probability he might go into a vertical spin and pass out, that a myriad of technical issues happen, all of which would end in death.  All this, on live feed.  I was potentially watching someone jump to their death. He, on his end, was willing to take the chance that he might get it right vs everything that could go wrong.

So where am I going with all this, how could this be possibly related to anything whisky:  Worms and jumping from outer space??   Here is how I see this all be related.  Most whisky newbies seem to experience FEAR.  Fear of judgment, looking stupid, being seen as inexperienced or worse being wrong.  I've experienced it.  Sitting in a room with Graham, his dad and friends. Everyone with a good dram in hand, including me and them saying they smell pears, mint and vanilla custard.  Whisky taste smooth, creamy with hints of chocolate and oranges, meanwhile with my nose in glass I smell "burning".  I've heard new members to our society nervously say:  "I don't know anything about whisky except what I like and don't like so I probably won't say much".  Fear of speaking up, fear of looking like an idiot, fear of getting it wrong.  Wrong?  Who is to say what you smell or taste is wrong. My twitter friend Alwynne Gwilt, the lovely "Miss Whisky" wrote an excellent article recently about how we smell and taste:  http://misswhisky.com/2012/09/29/how-do-you-taste-and-smell-whisky/.  

The nose can smell up to 10,000 different "olfactory" experiences.  The brain remembers these (crazy chemical reaction takes plan in the Limbic system) and files them away which is why I can smell a whisky, be transported back to a cold Halloween night when I was 10 and the sudden memory of "hot tamales" cinnamon candy hits me right on the spot. The stubborn part of me can spend 15-30 minutes chasing a smell in my Glencairn, because I KNOW I have identified it before.

Knowing how some people feel and also accepting that not everyone feels comfortable simply saying what they think, we make it a point at our society tastings to sit people in a way that promotes discussions in small groups.  It is always fascinating to me that at the beginning of the year we can watch the newbies sit, sniff, taste and listen intently to what is taking place in the room.  Then, it magically happens:  I will purposely travel around the room asking people what they think, if they pick up certain smells, encouraging people to speak up.  I re-discovered rubber inner tube one night when someone brand new to our society spoke up and had the courage to say: "I don't smell anything but a new inner tube for my bike".  We embrace and encourage to say whatever comes to mind when you are nose first in your Glencairn.  By the third tasting of the year, the presenters can barely be heard over the din of discussions taking place and I LOVE that. Our members develop a confidence in simply trusting what their nose and brain tells them they are smelling and tasting. Ever smell "circus" midway in a glass?  One of our members did and once he said that, about 10 other people recognized that as well and you could see light bulbs going off in their heads. It's truly an amazing journey to watch and experience.

So my next point of discussion is how does one practive nosing/tasting?  For me, it has always been to take part in as many blind tastings as possible.  I encourage others new or experienced to do the same.  Exercising the nose is so important and blind nosing/tasting allows me to concentrate on nothing but my abilities.  I recently finished two blind competitions which I truly enjoyed participating in.  One, a twitter led competition with Femke (Girl_Whisky): http://whiskygirl.nl/, with whom I have traded samples and follow on twitter.  It was interesting and I mostly got everything wrong, but I didn't care because the outcome was all positive.  I did a twitter tasting with many friends I respect and enjoy chatting about whisky with. I tried whiskies I never would have otherwise and it reinforced certain skills that I felt confident in.  She is having a second one in January, if anyone is interested.  Find her on twitter at @Girl_Whisky and I'm sure she will give you more information.

Mac & Cheese - yum?!

The second one was to be done at your own pace, which I preferred.  My samples arrived a few days before our Canadian Thanksgiving.  I happened to be home alone that night with no kids or hubby. Just me, my special supper, some Patriots football and my five colored samples. About an hour after supper and plenty of water to eliminate all traces of macaroni and cheese (no turkey for me, sigh...) I began with one sample and took my time nosing/tasting each one.  I revisited the samples the next day after work and noted more thoughts.  By Tuesday I had settled on my guesses and sent them off to Oliver (our host).  Thursday, he revealed the winner as well as what whiskies he had sent us.  

Black sample

I am brave enough to post what my guesses were.  I rated the black sample as the best. I though was from Scotland, Aberlour, big sherry, didn't give it an age statement and said it was 60%.  Come to find out it was a Highland Park, Banyuls Finish 21 at 50.3%.  This was the most popular sample, so I guess I got that right, at least.
Next for me was the yellow sample.  It was fruity in nature, fair amount of vanilla.  It "reaked" of a North American.  So I guessed Van Winkle, 12 yr old, from USA with a 43% ABV.  Well, I was close, sort of.  It was a Canadian, to which I will add that YOU CAN'T GET IN CANADA and one of the few I had never been able to try. (Ironic somehow that the sample came from Germany, but very happy to have tried it since I enjoyed it second best).  It was: Pendleton Whisky, NAS, 40%. It ranked as third favorite.  My next preferred sample was the red, I enjoyed it.  It was young and I could smell a distinct indicator for me which is rum raisin ice cream.  I pondered this one for a while.  I had no clue, so I guessed:  Scotland, Auchentoshan Valinch, NAS, 57% ABV.  Not even close (lol!).  It was Czechoslovakian - Hammerhead, 1989 and 40.7%. It placed 2nd to my 3rd.  Then came green:  WINE! Syrupy and way too sweet for me.  I had a hard time tasting it.  I guessed Scotland, Benromach 2000 Marsala, 45%.  NOPE...  It was a French whisky, made with buckwheat.  Eddu Silver NAS, 40%.  It also came in 4th.

Last but not least the blue whisky which I liked the least as did everyone else.  This is where I come back to a previous statement that I discovered inner tube bicycle tire, well "there" it was in this sample.  Industrial, rubber tire, sooth and smoke. WTF?  I was perplexed.  No clue, so I guessed:  Port Elen 1982, 43%.  This time I was a bit closer, well in age and ABV at least. It was a Japanese, Isawa 1983 at 43%.  Fluke, or was I improving?  Who knows.

I didn't care that I didn't win the competition BUT here is what I took away from this exercise: I was able to identify many of the same flavors as the other participants.  I just about had the order the same (as the majority) and I knew one for sure was North American.  My ABV's were a bit off, but for a few not that much.  Overall, I think I did fairly well.  Later on in the week I was tweeting about the blind tasting and one of the guys (who has way more experience tasting and blogging about whisky than I do) said: "Oh, I'm not good enough to do Oliver's competitions" which let me flabbergasted?  It seems no matter how much experience some people might have under their belts, the confidence to simply say what one smells and thinks is still too much of a barrier to let loose and consider putting themselves out there and risk being wrong... Hence how I got to this blog.  I guess I should be very thankful that my parents never promoted or sheltered me from my fears.  Fear of drowning - I got swimming lessons.  Fear of the dark, my dad took me to a graveyard at night.  Fear of public speaking, well actually I don't ever recall having that fear.  I've spoken publicly since grade 2 when I was the third angel in the Christmas play and I got to say 4 words. :)

Third Angel Performance - Dec 1972

I hope many of you who read this blog will be tempted or at least consider to try blind tastings, at least once.  If not in a group or twittersphere environment, then at home.  Ask a friend to participate with you or your spouse/partner.  Get them to go to your whisky cabinet, pour you a dram and have fun simply guessing what it is.  Conquer that fear of the possibility of being wrong.

Because frankly, if I can pick up a worm after 35 years of having an overwhelming fear of them and some guy can jump and free fall from space at Mach 1.24 I'm sure some of you can nose/taste a whisky and simply enjoy the fact that all you have to do is "guess" what you think it might be.

On yet another wonderful whisky adventure, this time detouring through the black forest of Germany with my friend Oliver Klimek (www.dramming.com)  Thanks Oliver :)




I remain,

The Whisky Lassie :)