Some whiskies don't taste good- cold weather or something else???

I've been very puzzled by this- over the past few weeks I haven't felt well on and off so I switched more to beer drinking. I never liked beer, though I would enjoy one now and then, now I find it quite pleasant. I didn't stop drinking whiskey, but it's suddenly started to taste very different than before. Is it possible that there was some shift in my taste buds?
OR- Is it simply the weather? The weather is now cold and the house has cooled down into its winter temperature of about 65 over the past few weeks. Could this be the case? I remember a flavor shift in my whiskies last winter and the winter before, but I can't remember it being this pronounced. The whiskies seem to have much more tannin harshness and they've lost their vibrancy and become very flat. I fear that somehow my palate has shifted, but since basically everything else I normally eat and drink tastes the same, I'm hoping it's simply the cooler climate that has changed the taste of the whiskey. How much influence does temperature really have on the taste of whiskey?

I had strep throat last week and before I started my antibiotics I had a pour of Saz18 which is by far my favorite whiskey, and I was completely disappointed to the point where I almost poured it out.. being ill definitely changes you palate as your sense of smell is affected. I tend to enjoy whiskey more when it is cold, I keep my house at around 60 degrees through winter and enjoy my pours more in this type of weather

I've found that my palate is off for a while after being sick. Plus, drinking when sick seems foolish.

Drinking when sick is a time honored tradition :D

I agree though, colds mess with the palate. Also, maybe you're just starting to like beer? I definitely go through periods when I drink more beer than whiskey, and vice-versa. I also believe that the temperature affects the palate, my beer tastes have shifted far to the malty side from my typical hop-head state lately.

My advice is to drink plentyof whiskey to get your cold ao whaever gone,and warm the house up. 65 degrees? I am from the south, that is the dead of winter, I heat with coal and keep that baby stoked good. Nice 72 this am.

How to Cure a Cold

Let the public do itself the honor to read my experience in doctoring a cold, as herein set forth, and then follow in my footsteps.

A lady at the Lick House told me to drink a quart of whisky every twenty-four hours, and a friend at the Occidental recommended precisely the same course.

Each advised me to take a quart - that makes half a gallon.

I calculate to do it or perish in the attempt.

~Mark Twain

even a little congestion will mess up your smell and taste system. keep warm, wear a scarf. :cool:

I had this odd concern that maybe my palate had shifted permanently or something. I don't think I have a cold, but my stomach has been upset on and off and I've had some real mild aches now and then. I've been slightly congested at times too.

I may try and warm some whiskey slightly to see if the taste become more favorable again. I am starting to lean towards the fact that the bottles are 65 degrees instead of 75 degrees altering the flavor.

Nothing like a good laxitive to fix you right up, blow the pipes out and you will be right as rain. Your bourbon will never taste better.

I drink beer first and foremost. Sometimes I go through periods when I just want whisky and vice versa, don't concern yourself. I also drink some whisky when a cold feels like it's setting in.