Whisky is...Flavour with Lenka Whyles
Learn all about Whisky is Flavour with our expert, Lenka, the Senior Specialist Tours and Tastings Manager at SWE. Lenka has been with us for 27 years and currently leads our private whisky tastings and Scotch Whisky School while also training our staff. In this blog, we sit down with Lenka to explore how flavour and memory intertwine in Scotch whisky, uncovering the rich spectrum of tastes that evoke emotion and tell a sensory story.
What was the first whisky that made you stop and really pay attention to flavour?
My first whisky experience was with Lagavulin 16yo. My husband to be, would bring a bottle with him every time he visited me in the Czech Republic, at the start of our relationship. My flatmates and I couldn’t believe our senses – the smell, the taste, the mouthfeel. It was such an intriguing, unusual flavour experience. This would be mid 1990’s so not long after the Velvet Revolution. The sensorial world of the socialist times was very drab, and this whisky flavour was like nothing else I have ever experienced. When I moved to Scotland once we got married and I started working at SWE, I had another smoky whisky epiphany: Ardbeg provenance 1974 that tasted like liquid poetry. I have never before experienced flavour in this way, so colourful, picturesque and alive. I ended up buying a bottle and it is to this day, my most prized whisky possession.
📷 Photo of Lenka by Jenny Mathes
What flavour note do you think best sums up your personality?
Smoky, spicy, with a note of sulphur, a Speyside aged in a sherry barrel, probably a worm tub condenser. Acquired taste, but fun once you get to know it. I’m thinking Craigellachie.
Have you ever had a whisky that surprised you?
I am constantly surprised by how many new flavours and brands are available to us. The flavour landscape is so much richer and varied than it was when I started drinking whisky, over 30 years ago. I really like unusual, slightly funky flavours that are sometimes called rancio: old furniture, mushrooms, musty cellar, tobacco pouch.
Is there a whisky flavour that instantly takes you back to a specific place or time?
Flavour is intrinsically connected to emotions and memories, and Scotch whisky is particularly blessed in its wide spectrum of flavours. I love the smell of honey – it takes me to my childhood, my granddad kept bees. The smell of oloroso sherry matured whiskies takes me to Andalucia: the main reason for my annual pilgrimage to Jerez is the smell of a bodega. The smoky smell in whisky reminds me of bonfires and roasting sausages over them. If I buy a nice body lotion at the duty free shop before I go on holiday, that smell is then forever connected to that time. Smells are incredibly underrated in my opinion, it is such an easy way to get uplifted – smelling a flower or a nice whisky.
What story do you tell that always makes people lean in a little closer?
I love sharing more information on the nature of flavour experiences. Many people do not realise the role of the nose in creating flavour, that most of flavour is created by the smell. Take vanilla for example: research suggests it is the flavour most loved by humans across the globe, yet it has no taste, it’s all in the nose.
What is the biggest misconception people bring with them about whisky flavours?
Flavour is created by our brains, from our experiences, memories and culture. It is something very unique to each of us. Unlike sight or hearing, we find it difficult to articulate our flavour experience, but this is just down to practice, like any other skill. It’s therefore best to trust yourself and explore your preferences, than buy what other experts are telling you to.
If you had to introduce whisky flavours to someone using only food, what three foods would you choose?
Chocolate is the first one, there can’t be many people on the planet who don’t like it. Dark chocolate has a big overlap in flavour with Scotch whisky: spicy, nutty, malty, honey and caramel. Cheese is another food that works really well with whisky, especially the smoky ones with strong cheese like cheddar or blue cheese. The cheese tames the smoke and enhances the sweetness. Last one, would be Scottish seafood and fish like smoked salmon or scallops as these encapsulate this island’s maritime climate and heritage. There is an intriguing salty note to many coastal whiskies that goes really well with seafood.
Has your own taste changed since you first started working with whisky?
Yes, it has changed. I used to prefer very flavourful whiskies with a lot of character and these days my preference is for gentler ones: sweet vanilla, caramel, maple syrup so mostly ex bourbon matured whiskies. Older single grain whiskies deliver a lot of these characteristics for a great value. I also really like older blended whiskies for their soft, rounded mouthfeel and very affordable price.