Tasting a Greek spirit.
A short practical guide to tasting spirits.
Preparation
Avoid putting on your favourite perfume (girls) and no after shave (boys)
In the beginning
Fill the special tasting glass up to 1/3 of its contents.
The temperature of the spirit should be about 25 C.
If the temperature is higher, the smell of the alcohol becomes unpleasant, while lower, the intensity of the aromas is lost.
Naked eye
We tilt our glass on a white surface and observe the clarity and colour.
Nose
We then bring the glass close to our nose and inhale the air at the top of the glass. The aromatic elements of the spirit enter our nose.
We swirl our glass to release all the aromas of the spirit.
We note the aromas in our notebook.
Mouth
We put a very small sip of the spirit in our mouth, letting it run through the entire oral cavity without swallowing it. We take an even bigger sip to discover more aromas.
Let's be more specific. The spirit has fruity aromas. If so, what? Citrus, stone fruit, berries, lemon, lime, lime, orange or spicy and smoky.
Ask yourself about the body. Is it light, full or velvety?
Finally, is the aftertaste of the spirit long or short?
The long aromatic sensation that lingers testifies to a great spirit.
Don't forget to take notes, spit in the spittoons, rinse your mouth with water and take lots of pictures.
The distillers are waiting to guide you through the wondrous world of Greek Distilled Spirits 2023 nest Sunday 29th January
at Athens Conservatoire by Vinetum.
Elements from the book "I make my own tsipouro" by Argyris Tsakiris
Marinos Skolarikos
Photo Credit:@allwinestories