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

[ethangsmith]

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?

[michaelturtle1]

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

[spinningrecords]

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

[HighInTheMtns]

Drinking when sick is a time honored tradition

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.

Edited November 6, 2012 by HighInTheMtns

[tmckenzie]

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.

[tanstaafl2]

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

[Lazer]

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

[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.

[tmckenzie]

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.

[deathevocation]

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.

[ILLfarmboy]

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.

[Flyfish]

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.

[sailor22]

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.

[LongBeachScott]

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.

[ethangsmith]

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!

[Young Blacksmith]

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!