I’m sure most whiskey drinkers have had this experience: you taste a whiskey and love it, only to revisit it later – even the next day! – and wonder what you ever saw in it. Or perhaps the reverse happens. A dram that once felt flat or unremarkable suddenly seems rich, complex, and compelling.
For me, the one whisky that has really stood out in this regard has been The Sexton, an Irish single malt whiskey. For whatever reason, The Sexton whiskey has just been very hit-or-miss for me. And I don’t mean that I’ve noticed marked differences between bottles. I mean that the very same whiskey from the very same bottle has managed to leave very different impressions on me.
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A Bottle with Multiple Personalities
I must say that I quite liked this whiskey when I first tasted it. Most of the Irish whiskey I tend to see in bottle stores are blends, so this single malt from Ireland was something fairly unusual at the time (a style that’s since become a little more commonly available). My original impression of this whiskey was that it was rich and robust (and I felt it may well be my preferred Irish whiskey style).
Yet I have subsequently tasted The Sexton and found that I was underwhelmed (the whiskey was just “meh”- there just didn’t really seem to be anything to it).
I’ve also tasted this whiskey and been surprised and disappointed to discover that I did not particularly enjoy it (I found a certain aromatic wood note was off-putting – perhaps because it reminded me too much of lavender, which reminded me too much of soap).
However, I tasted it subsequently (and not actually that long afterward) and found I quite liked it again, once more finding it rich and warm and full of fruit and spice.
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So what’s going on? It turns out this experience is not unusual, and it may have far more to do with us than with the whiskey.
Sometimes, It Is the Whiskey
Before we get to that, it is worth acknowledging that whiskey can change slightly after a bottle has been opened. As the level of liquid drops, the amount of oxygen in the bottle increases, and gradual oxidation can subtly alter the aroma and flavour of a whiskey over time.
Some drinkers notice that a bottle opens up after a few weeks, while others find that delicate notes can fade if a bottle sits on the shelf half-full for months on end.
However, these changes tend to happen slowly. They are unlikely to explain why the same whiskey tastes dramatically different just a day or two apart, especially when it’s from the same bottle and has only recently been opened.
So if the whiskey hasn’t meaningfully changed overnight, what has?
Your Senses Shift More Than You Think
That the exact same whiskey – from the same bottle, tasted just a day or two apart – can taste quite different seems to be a topic that many whisky enthusiasts and professionals have puzzled over. I think it’s actually a fairly common phenomenon, and can be attributed to a few different factors, mostly to do with the human sensory side of things rather than the whiskey itself.
Here are some of the factors at play that may cause this to happen. For a start, flavours detected in whiskey can also be influenced by what you’ve eaten recently. You’re often warned against eating spicy food or drinking coffee before a whiskey tasting for a reason. These (among other foodstuffs) can leave lingering compounds in your mouth or nose, which can negatively impact your ability to pick up on aromas and flavours in the whiskey.
It’s All in Your Head (Sort Of)
Much of what we experience as “taste” is actually smell. And some research in sensory psychology suggests that one’s olfactory sensitivity can fluctuate from day to day due to things like stress and fatigue. So, if you’re relaxed on Friday and stressed on Saturday, your brain may genuinely just process the flavours a little differently.
Environmental factors matter too. The smells around you (perfume, cooking, smoke, etc.) can interfere with your tasting experience.
It turns out that even lighting can have an effect on what you taste! Findings from a study published in 2013 suggest that changing lighting can make something seem more or less sweet when tasted.
In other words, the whiskey may not have changed – but your sensory context has.
Then there’s also the psychological dimension.
If you approach a whiskey expecting richness and complexity – even a particular flavour note – you may be primed to detect those particular qualities or flavours. And if you revisit it after reading a lukewarm review, your expectations may shift.
Comparison plays a role too. Nosing a whiskey alongside another almost always makes certain aromas and jump out at you that you didn’t notice when focusing on only the one whiskey. And a delicate Irish single malt tasted after a heavily peated Scotch will almost certainly feel lighter than it would if tasted on its own.
The Case for Revisiting a Bottle
If there’s a lesson here, it’s this: don’t be too quick to write a whiskey off.
It’s certainly worth being open to revisiting a whiskey you didn’t necessarily enjoy the first time around, as it may not be the fault of the whiskey! Conversely, a dram you adored may feel less impressive on a different day, and this can be a little disappointing, perhaps, but also okay.
It’s probably also worth tasting the same whiskey numerous times so that you can really get the most out of it, as you might find that you are later able to detect some aromas or flavours that you didn’t notice upon first tasting it.
Whiskey tasting is not a laboratory experiment conducted under perfectly controlled conditions. It’s a dynamic interaction between liquid, environment, and human perception, which can help to keep the experience interesting.
