Taste conceals fascinating secrets that have the power change how you taste whisky, wine, and spirits. Not only is the sensation of taste made up predominantly of aroma, we also smell aromas in two different ways. Discover how this works and the implications for how your ‘taste’ in our expert’s guide: the Surprising Secrets of Taste and Smell.

Flavour doesn’t exist in your glass, it exists only in your mind. Such a notion may sound like heresy, but as we peel away the sensory layers, the reality of flavour becomes apparent. Clinging to the idea that flavour exists outside of one’s own consciousness, as we shall see, is detrimental to brands, to consumers, and to the future of food and drink. Now is the time to shift the narrative, and bring the sensory experience into the 21^st century.

Whisky ambassadors represent the contact point between brands and consumers. It is their role to create the most impactful, engaging, and memorable experiences that shine the best light on their products. The Sensory Advantage shares 3 hacks that whisky ambassadors can use to enhance their whisky tastings and invite their guests to a have deeper relationship with flavour.

The vocabulary of whisky, wine, or other tastings, is an art in its own right. Yet such semantics often drive a divide between experts and novices when it comes to tastings. All too often newcomers can feel a sense of intimidation and a fear of saying the wrong thing. Today we break down those barriers to make flavour accessible to all.

Any whisky drinker will understand that adding water to whisky alters how it tastes. Even just one or two drops can have a significant impact. But what is not widely understood is what chemical changes occur in your dram with a little water. Today we explore the topic in detail, a shed light on the remarkable nature of adding water to whisky.

Applying psychological concepts such as crossmodal correspondences to wine, whisky, or gin tastings can create immersive, multi-sensory experiences that elevate how participants perceive flavours. Here’s how you could practically incorporate these concepts into your tastings:

Whisky tastings can be stern affairs with participants prioritising the look of competency over having fun. After all, who wants to do or say the wrong thing? To appear competent, it's natural to look towards the professionals, who at the top of the ladder deploy tactics to beat hedonistic subjectivity out of the door with a flat stick. But whisky tasting is hedonism in action, and we should encourage embracing it rather than following those who look like they have secret knowledge.

Mouthfeel is the unspoken hero of flavour. Imagine wine without tannins, custard without creaminess, or butter without fat. Yet it is rarely discussed in detail or mentioned beyond a simple 'rough' or 'smooth'. To understand mouthfeel in its entirety, whether in the context of wine tasting, whisky tasting, or rum tasting, our expert guide will explain the different components that make up mouthfeel one at a time.

What is flavour? Is it taste - is it palate - is it aroma - or is it something other? So much confusion surrounds the term flavour that it has become a hurdle for consumers in need of clarity and simplification. As it turns out, there's a lot more to flavour than you may have thought. But understanding its meaning is the first step into an entire world of revelations.