Whisky Tasting Tips from the Godfather of Whisky Dan Tullio

Whisky is the quintessential winter warmer and what better way to learn about the spirit than from a man who lives it, literally. Director of Canadian Club’s Brand Heritage, Dan Tullio has been with the whisky distillery for a quarter of a century.  He’s traveled the world drinking and talking about Canadian whisky, leading taste tests and has even played a prominent role in Canadian Club’s Damn Right advertising campaign (that’s Dan the ladies man in the photo).

For those of you who may not be whisky (yes that’s whisky without the ‘e’) connoisseurs, what better way to learn about whisky than from The Godfather of Whisky himself?

Unlike other Canadian whiskies, Canadian Club is blended prior to barreling so the flavors can mingle throughout the aging process. Think of stew: Canadian Club puts all the ingredients in the pot to cook together (potatoes, meat, carrots, onions, etc), as opposed to cooking each ingredient separately which as I’m sure you can imagine, will change the flavor of the spirit. Canadian Club’s Classic 12 has a higher percentage of barley malt grain resulting in an exceptionally smooth, warm and full bodied whisky with strong overtones of oak and rich toffee.

Dan prefers his CC on the rocks and provides these tips for hosting your own at-home tasting:

Step 1: Color

Use a clear glass with a narrow mouth and a wide bottom and pour ¾ oz of room temperature Canadian Club.  Notice the color of the whisky – the darker the whisky the longer the product has been aged.

Step 2: Aroma

Some of the flavor compounds found in whisky are volatile, and the smell is part of the experience.  Hold the glass in your hands to warm up the whisky.  Put the mouth of the glass an inch from your nose and inhale the aroma.  You are looking for fruity smells – take note of what you smell and try to describe it. Then put the glass closer to your nose (almost in the glass).  You should now smell more spice, perhaps butterscotch.

Before you get ready to taste, add a tiny bit of room temperature bottled water to open up or release the flavor of the whisky.  The water will also dilute the concentrated spirit somewhat, allowing you to taste the complex flavors more clearly without the burn from the strong spirit.

Step 3: Body

Take a sip of the whisky and notice the body of the flavor in your mouth.  Is it aggressive? Is it sharp, obtrusive?  Take note.

Step 4: Taste

The final step is to really “taste” the whisky.  Notice where it hits your tongue (tip – sweet, back – bitter, top – salty, side – acidic).