Speaking of Small Pours . . .

[bluesbassdad]

A contemporary thread about an upcoming social gathering mentioned that the participants normally try very small pours, a necessity if one is to remain reasonable sober while sampling many bourbons.

That reminds me that sometimes my perception of a bourbon seems to change dramatically in the course of a normal, say 50 ml., pour. The first sip arrives and greets fresh taste buds and olfactory sensors. A certain impression is made.

With repeated sips, sometimes a hint of roughness seems to build, perhaps to the point where an initial favorable impression begins to dim.

OTOH, sometimes the opposite happens. Later sips reveal pleasant flavors that went unnoticed in the company of the initial surge of alcohol.

What size pour do you feel allows you to form a reasonably complete impression of a given bourbon when served neat?

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Dave_in_Canada]

I don't form an opinion until after I finish the bottle, sometimes taking up to a year or two.

[ratcheer]

Great question, Dave.

I used to measure 50 ml pours, but recently I have cut back to (usually) 1 oz or less. I am finding that I just want a good taste and that sometimes it seems like a chore to finish off a full-sized straight shot.

My wife took our living room and turned it into a library/reading room. She put in two very expensive leather arm chairs and ottomans. I am sure I would love to read in there with a full-sized drink or even two, but she won't allow our sons in there with food or drink. So, to be fair, she won't allow me in there with a drink, either.

Tim

[TNbourbon]

For tasting purposes, I use a glass which marks 20ml and 40ml for me. I generally pour to the 20ml (0.68 ounce).

I usually don't judge the first sip of a pour, unless I've been tasting other things beforehand. Even then, a first sip can throw shadows of the previous taste, so the second sip seems to become more acclimatized and give truer sense of the current drink.

Now, if I'm just pouring to have a drink, it's more often 1-1/2 to 2 ounces, because I generally try 2-3 different whiskeys.

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Hi Tim,

Like you, I like to try 2 or 3 different bourbons in an evening, sometimes more. The larger the number of whiskies I plan on trying, the smaller my pours tend to be, but I don't like to go much under 30 ml. There are other times when I want to explore a whiskey in greater depth. On those occasions I usually have several pours of 40 to 60 ml in succession. The last sip is definitely not the same as the first. Depending upon the bourbon the finish builds and builds until it is extremely long-lasting. I remember walking home from the bar, taking the subway and then walking home from there (30 or 40 minutes total) after having had several generous pours of WT 12. I was still enjoying the finish when I got home.

Ed

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I usually sample with both small and slightly larger sips.

From the beginning this procedure stemmed from largely the same motive as Tim, i.e. getting the tastebuds "prepared", which of course is still applicable, but very soon I also realized that the amount sampled could result in different taste sensations (although not necessarily so).

I don't form an opinion until after I finish the bottle, sometimes taking up to a year or two.

Ditto. What can appear to be a very ordinary or non-descript whiskey can with time grow into a personal favorite. Rittenhouse 10yo BIB is one such example.

[1holegrouper]

I absolutely agree with your train of thought here. There are so many factors outside of the bourbon itself that can affect the tasting experience: what we are eating, is it the first drink or the x-th drink, our mood, our knowledge and feelings towards the bourbon from a marketing effect standpoint, the day of the week, our company, what's on the TV, the weather, etc...

To me these types of influencing factors make this such a pleasurable hobby.

[Sweetmeats]

My pours start out small and end up large towards the end. Usually with me talking to myself about how good the last one was and I need some more.

[NYtaster]

My pours start out small and end up large towards the end. Usually with me talking to myself about how good the last one was and I need some more.

I just talked myself into a 3rd, but what the heck, its Friday!

I never measure, I pour a moderate drink that almost always gets better near the bottom

I do notice that the first taste the evening tends to be a little different each time, even for a familiar/favorite.

Tim

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Hi Tim,

I do notice that the first taste the evening tends to be a little different each time, even for a familiar/favorite.

I've noticed that, too. I tend to be cautious on first pours. Usually I pour a couple of sips, swirl it then taste. If it tastes nice then I pour more, if it doesn't I finish it then rinse the glass and try another bottle. I didn't do that tonight. I confidently poured a bit more than 2 oz of Old Charter 12. My confidence was not misplaced. Yum!

Ed

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I do notice that the first taste the evening tends to be a little different each time, even for a familiar/favorite.

I recognize this phenomenon, too. I´m certainly no biologist but sometimes I fantasize that the alcohol of the first sip obliterates remaining taste fragments on the tongue, thus paving the way for the optimum enjoyment of the forthcoming sips.

Aah, wild speculations!

[kbuzbee]

I do notice that the first taste the evening tends to be a little different each time, even for a familiar/favorite.

I recognize this phenomenon, too. I´m certainly no biologist but sometimes I fantasize that the alcohol of the first sip obliterates remaining taste fragments on the tongue, thus paving the way for the optimum enjoyment of the forthcoming sips.

Aah, wild speculations!

I think you're on to something there, Hedmans. For me, it's usually 2 glasses, 4-6 oz each. I feel I'm into the "zone" by the end of the first glass so the second one is just wonderful. For this to work though, it's the same Bourbon for both glasses. Switching in mid stream is just too confusing for my simple taste buds.

Ken

[NYtaster]

Ken,

I think that really gets to the core of it. Most evenings I like a pour or two to relax and enjoy the the end of the day. Once in a while I will compare different bottles but for the most part I stick with one bottle on any given day.

Tim

[Mad Mac]

I'm pretty much of a lightweight - it's a max of two 50 mL pours for me, and that's on a weekend. I find that with much more than that I lose my sense of taste and greatly increase the risk of a hangover... Sigh...

[Frodo]

I find a smaller pour gives me a bare impression as opposed to a real taste for the stuff. Usually 50 ml for me!