Ryan Mills

Take your time, use the right glassware and train your senses in order to fully appreciate whiskey.
 
Transcript: "What are some tips for tasting and appreciating whiskey? Well, it really boils down to three different things. Taking your time or having the time, having the right glassware, and really understanding your senses. So speaking of time, taking your time or having the time to sit back, relax and enjoy a nice pour of whiskey is a lot better than what we've all kind of been trained to do and just shoot it all back. Having a two ounce pour, taking the time to allow it to hit the palate correctly, swallow and retrohale through your nose will allow you to pick up different types of flavors and notes. Another thing is to have good glassware, something a little tulip shaped like a Glencairn glass here, that will trap ethanol vapors, but also allow your flavor notes to travel up through the tulip directly to the nose. And again, taking your time, smelling at different levels, seeing what you get from that whiskey. And lastly, it's just being attuned to your senses or training your senses. When you're eating food or drinking drinks, take your time with those and understand what you're getting. If you smell a bed of roses, try to remember, get that muscle memory ready for what roses smell like. That way, when you come back to your whiskey, you'll understand exactly what you're getting from it."

Adding a drop or two of water to a glass of bourbon can open up the flavor profile, allowing you to experience different notes such as cherry and vanilla. It can also make the drink more intense on the first sip.
 
Transcript: "How does adding a drop or two of water change the flavor profile of a bourbon? Well, bourbon is a stable, compressed solution full of different material and compounds. So when you add a drop or two of water into that stable solution, they tend to break up those compounds that are tightly knitted together. Now, the water itself isn't adding any flavor to the actual whiskey, but sometimes it'll help open up that whiskey to give you different notes of cherry or vanilla, and sometimes it can even make it a little bit more intense on the first sip. And that's mainly because of the water solubles will connect to the water while all your oils or insoluble objects rise to the top. But it is a really fun experiment. Pour yourself a glass of whiskey, take a sip, wait a few minutes, drop two drops of still water into it, and then take a sip and see how it changes for yourself."

The most popular whiskey glass is the Glen Karen, which helps funnel aromas. However, the Professional glass or Blenders glass in Scotland is better, as it helps trap ethanol and aromas, while also thinning out the whiskey. Ultimately, if you just want to enjoy a whiskey, drink it however you want.
 
Transcript: "Is there a proper glass design to optimize bourbon, whiskey, or scotch tasting experience? Yeah, give me a second. Let me grab one for you. So every whiskey taster on the face of the planet is going to tell you to get a tulip shaped glass. And the most popular one in the whiskey world right now is the Glencairn. The Glencairn does a really good job at funneling aromas up to the nose, allowing you to kind of separate the different aromas and giving you different notes and flavors. But I have one that's just slightly better, which I do all my tasting and reviews with. This one, however, is called the Professional Glass or the Blenders Glass in Scotland. And the reason why is because this bulb shape with this small opening traps ethanol and allows aromas to escape to the top. Not only that, but it helps you thin out the whiskey as you are, let's say, swirling it, giving you better aromas, giving you better flavors, giving you better notes. So if you are going to taste a whiskey or experience a whiskey the way some of us do, one of those two is going to help out. If you just want to enjoy drinking whiskey, honestly, drink it however you want."

Hi everyone, I'm Ryan Mills or better known as That One Due. I'm a certified bourbon steward and content creator who loves the art and science behind alcohol making. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about whiskey, I'm happy to answer them!
 
Transcript: "Hi everyone, my name is Ryan Mills or better known as That One Dude Ryan. I am a certified bourbon steward as well as a content creator and whiskey enthusiast. And no, I don't just like drinking it, I also enjoy the art and science behind alcohol making. And another really fun part is I enjoy sharing my knowledge with other people. So if you have any questions, feel free to ask because I'm here to answer. Anyway, I look forward to speaking with all of you."

Barrel finishes, such as those using Sherry casks, can significantly impact the flavor and aroma of whiskey. By finishing the whiskey in a wine cask, the whiskey can gain added depth of flavor that many people enjoy.
 
Transcript: "How do barrel finishes such as those using sherry or portcasts impact the flavor and aroma of whiskey? A lot, actually. So here's the wonderful thing about barrel finishes is it's a way we can take normal standard whiskey and actually add some flavor to it without it being an infused or a flavored spirit. The wonderful thing is depending on what region of whiskey you are looking at, whether it's bourbon or scotch, the finish of that whiskey usually comes on the finish on the palate as well. You can have a bourbon that is very cherry, oak, caramel forward and then finishes with a nice portcast finish or a sweeter wine finish. Having that whiskey come to full maturation and then finishing off in some type of wine cast really adds that extra depth of flavor that a lot of people seem to enjoy."

There is an ongoing debate between Scotland and Ireland as to which one invented whiskey first. It is believed that Scotland was distilling Spirits since the late 1400s while Ireland has been distilling Spirits since 1405.
 
Transcript: "How did whiskey first come about? Ooh! These are fighting words in the whiskey world. And the reasoning why they're fighting words is because both the Scottish and Irish both claim that they invented whiskey first. So there are a lot of theories out there exactly when whiskey was first invented, but Scottish whiskey has been talked about in the late 1400s of coming from John Cora Friar in Scotland who was distilling spirits for the king. Ireland, however, has found writings and teachings of distilled spirits all the way back to 1405. So by the standard, you would suspect that Ireland has this in the bag. However, it is still to this day argued as to which individual country or nation or region actually came up with whiskey first and foremost. But, hey, who cares? It's all delicious."