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

I would suppose the aromatic compounds are released more readily when warm verses cold. That's why I'm not a rocks drinker. To me anything high proof and cold tastes more like cold ethanol than bourbon or brandy etc.

No seasonal shift here though. My house is 67 year 'round. So I can't speak to that small a change.

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Originally Posted by ethangsmith

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.

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I had a cold in late October. Stuffy nose resulted in no "taste," queasy stomach reduced desire for food and (gasp!) even bourbon. Just as I was getting over the cold, I had a colonoscopy with the mandatory cleansing. Tmckenzie's suggestion of a laxative may have been made tongue in cheek but there ain't no arguing with results. Bourbon's back and I'm loving it.
All of this leads to the conclusion that off flavors in our drink may not be attributable to the temperature of the house or the bourbon but our own deviation from 98.6 degrees. So, I'm probably with Lazer. If you want your bourbon to taste good, wear a scarf.

Sounds like your palate is off and it's probably health related. Don't worry too much as it likely isn't permanent. Try sipping some black tea with just a touch of honey an hour or so before your next pour. No promises but it has worked for me.

My palate is definitely affected by sickness. Sometimes even if I don't feel sick but my nose is a little bit stuffed, I can't taste things right at all. Everything taste a little more bitter than it should.

My stomach is back to normal and I'm feeling much better, but most of the whiskey is still mediocre in flavor. The past two nights, I poured a shot and held it in my hand for a while to warm it slightly. That did help a lot. It would seem that the cool temperature of my house has affected the flavor of the whiskey quite a bit. The higher proof whiskey (Over 100pf) that I have tastes basically ok, it's the lower proof stuff that really seems to taste odd. I'm wondering too how much of an effect drinking beer has had on my palate too. I go from fizzy and sweet to heavy and more slightly bitter. I think I may try to alternate days when I drink certain things to keep them apart and also see what effect that has. However, I do think this is mostly temperature related. I'll be interested to see what happens come spring time!

I find beer to have a huge effect on how bourbon tastes. Sam Adams Octoberfest, or any Octoberfest style for that matter, makes all my bourbon taste off, bland, powerless.

I can only drink cheap miller lite or high life if I want to taste my bourbon "correctly". If I don't care, then I can combine anything! :)