When it comes to whiskey, I am an amateur.
Sure, I run a blog about whiskey, I’ve sampled a good amount of them, and I have a higher level of whiskey knowledge than the average Joe. But, when I step back and think about everything out there that I do not know, it’s pretty humbling.
Recently, I’ve been compiling a list of the whiskeys I have tried. At the moment, my number is 125. To some that seems like a lot (and it is!). But to me, it’s just scratching the surface. When you compare that number to the number of whiskeys available worldwide, I doubt I’ve even touched 1%. On one hand, it’s terrifying to think that the research that I do accounts for a microcosm of whiskey culture as a whole. On the other hand, it’s really encouraging to know that there’s so much more out there, and I have the rest of my life to soak up that information – and the whiskey itself, I suppose.
Have you ever written a list of the whiskeys you have sampled? Better yet, have you made your “bucket list” of whiskeys that you would like to sample? Let me know in the comments!
-Ryan
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Ryan, I too am a whisky blogger and I too am an amateur. Believe it or not, ALL of the scotches I’ve ever had are posted up on my blog (except one, but we do not speak its name… *shudder*). I’ve had a few bourbons that aren’t up there, but honestly not that many. I think you’re nuts asking about what I WOULD LIKE to sample… how much time do you have? 😉 I have a short-list of bottles I want to buy soon, but even that is constantly changing.
What I’ve learned is that you need to have a lot of patience to learn about whisky. It takes a long time to get through a bottle, and you can only drink so many bottles! By the time you’ve gotten through a couple dozen, a year or two has gone by, your palate has evolved, your likes have changed, and you’re ready to try the first ones again… except you still haven’t gotten to all the new ones you want to try! Already I’m having a battle with myself of wanting to re-try some whiskies I’ve had, yet wanting to keep exploring new ones.
It’s a great hobby (in moderation, of course) 🙂
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I’m really curious as to what that Scotch is that we do not speak its name…
I completely understand your comment, because I feel almost exactly the same! My tastes have evolved since I started drinking whiskey, and I have a feeling that many of the whiskeys I did not enjoy when I started, I might feel differently about today. Case in point – I tried both the Single Barrel and Small Batch expressions of Four Roses at a local whiskey tasting close to two years ago, and really did not care for either. Now, I see all kinds of press about how much of a “value” these brands are, and now I almost want to give them a second try. Then again, I usually spend my money on new whiskeys, rather than ones I’ve already tried.
It’s definitely a marathon, not a sprint, when it comes to learning about whiskey. But, as you said, a great hobby!
-Ryan
[…] Trivia Back in January, I wrote a post called “Learning About Whiskey” which concisely explained how little I really know about whiskey. As I continue to write […]