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Whisky for people who don't like whisky

Burn, smoke or bitterness: what usually puts people off whisky, and the styles, serves and mixers that change it, with bottles to try at UK prices.

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If whisky put you off, work out why first. Most people mean one of three things: alcohol burn, smoke, or a dry, bitter woodiness. Each has a fix. Water or a long drink cuts the burn, unpeated whisky removes the smoke, and a sweeter style such as a wheated bourbon or an Irish blend softens the wood. No whisky stops tasting of whisky, so start with a small measure.

What put you off whisky? Most people mean one of three things, and each has a fix. If it was the burn, add a few drops of water or some ice, make it long as a highball with three or four parts soda, and stay at 40% to 43% ABV; Suntory Whisky Toki was designed for the highball. If it was the smoke, choose an unpeated whisky: most Speyside and Lowland malts, most blends, almost all Irish whiskey and all bourbon are unpeated. Try The Glenlivet 12 Year Old or Monkey Shoulder. If it was dry or bitter, choose a younger whisky or one made with sweeter grains, such as Maker's Mark, Jameson Irish Whiskey or Suntory Whisky Toki.

If it was the burn

Alcohol triggers the mouth’s heat receptors, the same ones chilli triggers. Whisky is bottled at 40% ABV or more, roughly three times the strength of wine, so the first sip of a neat whisky can be a shock.

Whiskipedia explains how water changes whisky.

If it was the smoke

Smoke comes from peat, burned to dry the malted barley at some distilleries. It is a choice, not a feature of all whisky. Most Speyside and Lowland malts, most blends, almost all Irish whiskey and all bourbon are unpeated. Whiskipedia on peat in whisky explains how it works.

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old (£34.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). Unpeated Speyside single malt at 40% ABV, matured in American and European oak.

Monkey Shoulder (£30.95 at Hard To Find Whisky). A blended malt from William Grant & Sons at 40% ABV, made to be mixed as well as sipped.

If it was dry or bitter

A dry, tannic finish usually comes from the oak. Younger whiskies and whiskies made with sweeter grains show less of it.

Maker’s Mark (£35.00 at The Whisky Shop). Kentucky bourbon at 45% ABV, made with red winter wheat in place of rye. Bourbon must be at least 51% corn and aged in new charred oak, which gives vanilla and caramel.

Jameson Irish Whiskey (£23.40 at Master of Malt). A triple-distilled blend of pot still and grain whiskey from Midleton in County Cork, 40% ABV.

Suntory Whisky Toki (£29.50 at Master of Malt). A light Japanese blend at 43% ABV, which Suntory designed for the highball.

Serves that change the experience

Start with one small drink rather than a tasting flight, and drink water alongside.

More blends to compare

Sources and review

Where to go next

Questions

Why does whisky burn?
Alcohol activates the same heat receptors in the mouth that respond to chilli, so the higher the strength, the more it burns. Whisky is bottled at 40% ABV or more. Adding water, or serving it as a highball with three or four parts soda, lowers the strength and cuts the burn sharply.
Does whisky taste better with age?
Not always. Longer in the cask softens the spirit and adds wood flavour, but very old whisky can taste dry and woody. The age statement is the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle. Many people who dislike whisky prefer a younger, sweeter style. See Whiskipedia on whisky maturation.
What is the best whisky mixer?
Soda water (a highball), ginger ale and cola are the most common. Ginger ale suits bourbon and Irish whiskey; soda suits light Scotch and Japanese blends such as Suntory Toki. A Whisky Sour (whisky, lemon juice and sugar syrup, sometimes with egg white) hides the alcohol taste further.
What whisky should I try if I dislike whisky?
Start with what put you off. If it was smoke, avoid peated Islay malts and try an unpeated Speyside such as The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. If it was heat, choose a 40% ABV bottle and add water. If it tasted dry or bitter, try a wheated bourbon such as Maker’s Mark, which uses red winter wheat instead of rye.

About the author

John Fegan

· Editor

Hailing from the land of haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, John was always going to find his way to whisky. He has run Uisge Beatha since 2015 and Whiskipedia.com since 2020.