\n<\/div>\n
1) \u201cI don\u2019t know anything \u2014 I just like whisky.\u201d<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/end.se\/anglarnasandel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1000044298-1.jpg?resize=223%2C483\")
<\/a>Today, 20 years later, I know a lot more than when I started drinking whisky, but I know a lot less than everything there is to know! One thing I know for sure, however, is that I actually like standard, non-posh blended from the 80s and 90s – yum!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI hear this quite often from beginners. In one sense it might be true – but not really. What the newcomer usually means is that their opinion shouldn\u2019t be taken seriously because they don\u2019t know the difference between a bourbon cask and a sherry cask. They might not recognise a single distillery name. Fair enough, I probably shouldn\u2019t ask you which grain distillery in Scotland is the newest (I don\u2019t know the answer myself). But trust me: your tasting experience is at least as interesting to me as that of any connoisseur. Perhaps even more interesting. After all, you don\u2019t yet have a mountain of prior knowledge getting in the way of simply saying the whisky smells like old two-stroke oil or Hawaiian Tropic. When I\u2019ve worked at whisky fairs, discussing flavour impressions with curious newcomers has often been the most rewarding part of the job.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n2) \u201cI\u2019ve drunk whisky for years. I know everything.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Well, perhaps you do. I so, congrats. But I have yet to meet a whisky expert who truly knows everything. What I have met are extremely knowledgeable people who would never dream of claiming such a thing. The handful of people I\u2019ve encountered who \u201cknew absolutely everything about whisky\u201d have, in the next breath, asked whether Bunnahabhain is a well-known blended whisky. So if you ever feel slightly intimidated by your friend Per who always tells you what to drink and why, I would recommend investing in a decent pair of earplugs the next time you share a dram.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n3) \u201cReal men drink peaty whisky \/ unpeated whisky is for women.\u201d<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/end.se\/anglarnasandel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/deanston-korn-grist.jpg?resize=318%2C240\")
<\/a>Look at the barley judging me for being female and having the audacity to love peated whisky!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA modern classic \u2014 about as frequently used as Ron Jeremy\u2019s crown jewels. I have yet to meet a single person who can scientifically confirm this rule, because in reality it always comes down to personal taste or social norms. There is no biological programme in the womb that determines whisky preferences based on gender. Otherwise ultrasound technicians could inform expectant parents while counting fingers and toes. You are free to enjoy whatever style of whisky you like, regardless of what equipment you happen to carry between your legs. It isn\u2019t the part of your anatomy you use to drink whisky anyway.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n4) \u201cIf it tastes good, it must be expensive.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Sometimes true. Quality often costs money. But good whisky can absolutely be found at reasonable prices. More importantly, taste is subjective. When it comes to whisky there is another type of quality worth considering: experience quality<\/strong>. Strip away the price. Strip away the status. What remains is your personal experience. What do you<\/em> actually think of what\u2019s in the glass? If you\u2019ve already decided that good whisky must cost a certain amount, you risk missing excellent whiskies both above and below that price point.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/div>\n5) \u201cThe older the whisky, the better it is.\u201d<\/h3>\n
You may already suspect where I stand on this: it\u2019s all down to personal taste. Older whisky often tastes different from younger whisky. It may have been produced under different conditions or matured differently. All of this can influence flavour. If you happen to enjoy those characteristics, older whisky may indeed taste better to you<\/em>. But things were not always better in the past. Younger whisky matured in high-quality casks can easily outshine older whisky aged in tired ones. The best advice is simply to try everything with an open mind.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/end.se\/anglarnasandel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251003_172044a-1.jpg?resize=250%2C331\")
<\/a>PRAKAAN – tasty and non-age stated!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n6) \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as good NAS whisky.\u201d<\/h3>\n
This debate has become something of a battlefield. On one side you have expensive Non-Age-Statement whiskies that people shout about enthusiastically – sometimes helped along by clever marketing and flashy names. On the other side you have glorified \u201cgeek whiskies\u201d, where radical transparency and minimalist design encourage us to pay good money to know everything about the spirit – including the exact minute of distillation and the master blender\u2019s star sign. However you look at it, NAS whisky is here to stay. I have tasted both excellent and disappointing examples from both camps. So I tend to approach NAS whisky as a kind of blind tasting.<\/p>\n
Two simple questions remain:
\nA) Do I like it?
\nB) Is it worth the money?<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n7) \u201cChill-filtered \/ coloured \/ diluted whisky is rubbish.\u201d<\/h3>\n
The whisky world has its fair share of snobberies – and yes, I have probably been guilty of a few myself. Chill filtration and reducing whisky to the minimum legal strength can certainly make it feel thinner. Colouring may seem unnecessary, even if we\u2019re told it doesn\u2019t affect flavour. But dismissing a whisky purely for these reasons can be risky. Good whisky can still exist despite them. Take Laphroaig 10 as an example: chill-filtered, coloured and reduced to 40%. Yet still rather lovely on a stormy autumn evening. Know what these practices might do to your whisky – but form your own opinion first.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n8) \u201cScottish \/ Japanese \/ Swedish whisky is superior (or inferior).\u201d<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/end.se\/anglarnasandel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/53865653_400-1.webp?resize=123%2C325\")
<\/a>Most def yum, but is it the best? It’s up to you!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMost of us have preconceived ideas about whisky from certain countries. That\u2019s only natural, our experiences shape our expectations. But impressions rarely stay fixed forever. If a famous whisky nation gradually lowers its standards, you might keep believing it produces the best whisky while quality quietly slips. The opposite can also happen: countries once dismissed as whisky outsiders may now produce truly impressive spirits. Keeping an open mind can sometimes lead to gold.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/end.se\/anglarnasandel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1000044298-1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/a>I hear this quite often from beginners. In one sense it might be true – but not really. What the newcomer usually means is that their opinion shouldn\u2019t be taken seriously because they don\u2019t know the difference between a bourbon cask and a sherry cask. They might not recognise a single distillery name. Fair enough, I probably shouldn\u2019t ask you which grain distillery in Scotland is the newest (I don\u2019t know the answer myself). But trust me: your tasting experience is at least as interesting to me as that of any connoisseur. Perhaps even more interesting. After all, you don\u2019t yet have a mountain of prior knowledge getting in the way of simply saying the whisky smells like old two-stroke oil or Hawaiian Tropic. When I\u2019ve worked at whisky fairs, discussing flavour impressions with curious newcomers has often been the most rewarding part of the job.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n
2) \u201cI\u2019ve drunk whisky for years. I know everything.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Well, perhaps you do. I so, congrats. But I have yet to meet a whisky expert who truly knows everything. What I have met are extremely knowledgeable people who would never dream of claiming such a thing. The handful of people I\u2019ve encountered who \u201cknew absolutely everything about whisky\u201d have, in the next breath, asked whether Bunnahabhain is a well-known blended whisky. So if you ever feel slightly intimidated by your friend Per who always tells you what to drink and why, I would recommend investing in a decent pair of earplugs the next time you share a dram.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n
3) \u201cReal men drink peaty whisky \/ unpeated whisky is for women.\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/a>Look at the barley judging me for being female and having the audacity to love peated whisky!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA modern classic \u2014 about as frequently used as Ron Jeremy\u2019s crown jewels. I have yet to meet a single person who can scientifically confirm this rule, because in reality it always comes down to personal taste or social norms. There is no biological programme in the womb that determines whisky preferences based on gender. Otherwise ultrasound technicians could inform expectant parents while counting fingers and toes. You are free to enjoy whatever style of whisky you like, regardless of what equipment you happen to carry between your legs. It isn\u2019t the part of your anatomy you use to drink whisky anyway.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n4) \u201cIf it tastes good, it must be expensive.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Sometimes true. Quality often costs money. But good whisky can absolutely be found at reasonable prices. More importantly, taste is subjective. When it comes to whisky there is another type of quality worth considering: experience quality<\/strong>. Strip away the price. Strip away the status. What remains is your personal experience. What do you<\/em> actually think of what\u2019s in the glass? If you\u2019ve already decided that good whisky must cost a certain amount, you risk missing excellent whiskies both above and below that price point.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/div>\n5) \u201cThe older the whisky, the better it is.\u201d<\/h3>\n
You may already suspect where I stand on this: it\u2019s all down to personal taste. Older whisky often tastes different from younger whisky. It may have been produced under different conditions or matured differently. All of this can influence flavour. If you happen to enjoy those characteristics, older whisky may indeed taste better to you<\/em>. But things were not always better in the past. Younger whisky matured in high-quality casks can easily outshine older whisky aged in tired ones. The best advice is simply to try everything with an open mind.<\/p>\n\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/a>PRAKAAN – tasty and non-age stated!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n6) \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as good NAS whisky.\u201d<\/h3>\n
This debate has become something of a battlefield. On one side you have expensive Non-Age-Statement whiskies that people shout about enthusiastically – sometimes helped along by clever marketing and flashy names. On the other side you have glorified \u201cgeek whiskies\u201d, where radical transparency and minimalist design encourage us to pay good money to know everything about the spirit – including the exact minute of distillation and the master blender\u2019s star sign. However you look at it, NAS whisky is here to stay. I have tasted both excellent and disappointing examples from both camps. So I tend to approach NAS whisky as a kind of blind tasting.<\/p>\n
Two simple questions remain:
\nA) Do I like it?
\nB) Is it worth the money?<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n7) \u201cChill-filtered \/ coloured \/ diluted whisky is rubbish.\u201d<\/h3>\n
The whisky world has its fair share of snobberies – and yes, I have probably been guilty of a few myself. Chill filtration and reducing whisky to the minimum legal strength can certainly make it feel thinner. Colouring may seem unnecessary, even if we\u2019re told it doesn\u2019t affect flavour. But dismissing a whisky purely for these reasons can be risky. Good whisky can still exist despite them. Take Laphroaig 10 as an example: chill-filtered, coloured and reduced to 40%. Yet still rather lovely on a stormy autumn evening. Know what these practices might do to your whisky – but form your own opinion first.<\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/div>\n8) \u201cScottish \/ Japanese \/ Swedish whisky is superior (or inferior).\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/a>Most def yum, but is it the best? It’s up to you!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nMost of us have preconceived ideas about whisky from certain countries. That\u2019s only natural, our experiences shape our expectations. But impressions rarely stay fixed forever. If a famous whisky nation gradually lowers its standards, you might keep believing it produces the best whisky while quality quietly slips. The opposite can also happen: countries once dismissed as whisky outsiders may now produce truly impressive spirits. Keeping an open mind can sometimes lead to gold.<\/p>\n
<\/a>A modern classic \u2014 about as frequently used as Ron Jeremy\u2019s crown jewels. I have yet to meet a single person who can scientifically confirm this rule, because in reality it always comes down to personal taste or social norms. There is no biological programme in the womb that determines whisky preferences based on gender. Otherwise ultrasound technicians could inform expectant parents while counting fingers and toes. You are free to enjoy whatever style of whisky you like, regardless of what equipment you happen to carry between your legs. It isn\u2019t the part of your anatomy you use to drink whisky anyway.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n
4) \u201cIf it tastes good, it must be expensive.\u201d<\/h3>\n
Sometimes true. Quality often costs money. But good whisky can absolutely be found at reasonable prices. More importantly, taste is subjective. When it comes to whisky there is another type of quality worth considering: experience quality<\/strong>. Strip away the price. Strip away the status. What remains is your personal experience. What do you<\/em> actually think of what\u2019s in the glass? If you\u2019ve already decided that good whisky must cost a certain amount, you risk missing excellent whiskies both above and below that price point.<\/p>\n You may already suspect where I stand on this: it\u2019s all down to personal taste. Older whisky often tastes different from younger whisky. It may have been produced under different conditions or matured differently. All of this can influence flavour. If you happen to enjoy those characteristics, older whisky may indeed taste better to you<\/em>. But things were not always better in the past. Younger whisky matured in high-quality casks can easily outshine older whisky aged in tired ones. The best advice is simply to try everything with an open mind.<\/p>\n This debate has become something of a battlefield. On one side you have expensive Non-Age-Statement whiskies that people shout about enthusiastically – sometimes helped along by clever marketing and flashy names. On the other side you have glorified \u201cgeek whiskies\u201d, where radical transparency and minimalist design encourage us to pay good money to know everything about the spirit – including the exact minute of distillation and the master blender\u2019s star sign. However you look at it, NAS whisky is here to stay. I have tasted both excellent and disappointing examples from both camps. So I tend to approach NAS whisky as a kind of blind tasting.<\/p>\n Two simple questions remain: The whisky world has its fair share of snobberies – and yes, I have probably been guilty of a few myself. Chill filtration and reducing whisky to the minimum legal strength can certainly make it feel thinner. Colouring may seem unnecessary, even if we\u2019re told it doesn\u2019t affect flavour. But dismissing a whisky purely for these reasons can be risky. Good whisky can still exist despite them. Take Laphroaig 10 as an example: chill-filtered, coloured and reduced to 40%. Yet still rather lovely on a stormy autumn evening. Know what these practices might do to your whisky – but form your own opinion first.<\/p>\n Most of us have preconceived ideas about whisky from certain countries. That\u2019s only natural, our experiences shape our expectations. But impressions rarely stay fixed forever. If a famous whisky nation gradually lowers its standards, you might keep believing it produces the best whisky while quality quietly slips. The opposite can also happen: countries once dismissed as whisky outsiders may now produce truly impressive spirits. Keeping an open mind can sometimes lead to gold.<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n5) \u201cThe older the whisky, the better it is.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/a>6) \u201cThere\u2019s no such thing as good NAS whisky.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\nA) Do I like it?
\nB) Is it worth the money?<\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n7) \u201cChill-filtered \/ coloured \/ diluted whisky is rubbish.\u201d<\/h3>\n
\n<\/div>\n8) \u201cScottish \/ Japanese \/ Swedish whisky is superior (or inferior).\u201d<\/h3>\n
<\/a>