We continue with the topic of small secrets and tricks when consuming whisky. You will read slightly strange but easily applicable techniques to pique the interest of friends or even win the whisky heart of your loved one.

Do you want to boast to your friends that you are now a whisky expert? Then the following lines are for you!

One part of whisky tasting is sensing the aromas. This is a very individual moment and different people perceive different nuances. It has happened that people smelling a glass of whisky for the first time listed a huge range of perceived aromas, while passionate lovers commented with only one or two words. Still, let's follow the steps.

Choose a glass. Our recommendation is to take a standard tasting glass with a long stem. The advantage of this is that it is comfortable to hold, there is no direct contact with the glass behind the liquid, so it does not warm up. It is not too wide, but also not too narrow at the top, where the aromas are concentrated and do not disappear if it is of standard width.

Point your left or right nostril towards the rim of the glass, but not too deeply, so that the alcoholic vapors don't irritate you, yet not far enough away that you don't smell anything.

Breathe in through one nostril, but at the same time, keep your mouth slightly open. This creates a circulation of oxygen in the nasopharynx, which maximizes the aromas. If your mouth is closed, you will mostly feel a strong alcoholic influence without much development in the aromas. Try with an open and closed mouth to see the differences.

One of the nostrils is more developed than the other. The one through which you feel more spirit and alcohol is the weaker one, and the other, through which you feel everything else, is the stronger one.

What can you feel? General sensations: sweetness, spiciness, alcohol, bitterness, smoke, florality. More detailed varieties can be seen in the diagram.

Don't be surprised! Some whiskies have a uniquely rich aroma, but when tasted, they lose it, and vice versa - they may be shy on the nose but develop with great depth on the palate.

One of the deepest aromas can be felt when the whisky has been drunk! Leave the empty glass unwashed and smell it in the morning. You will be speechless or breathless! The aromas will be saturated, rich, and varied, but unfortunately, the glass will be empty.

Last tip: Don't leave everything to the aroma, but sip with pleasure.

With ice or without ice? A question we have been asked many times. If you are tasting and want to enjoy the amber distillate to the fullest, immediately discard the ice.

And why? Because ice constricts our taste buds and we primarily feel its alcoholic influence. If, however, quantity, not quality, is important to you, mix the whisky with whatever you decide, but we will close our eyes tightly.

Water drops are widely used, but we recommend them for whiskies with high alcohol content or others with flavors you don't like. Water drops open up the bouquet of aromas even more, but don't do it with your favorite whiskies, as you might dilute them.

Have you seen whisky stones? They are beautiful square cubes made of natural basalt or another type of stone, and can even be metal. They are used to cool the liquid, so you need to keep them in the refrigerator beforehand to make them as cold as possible. We don't love them, but they look good in an interesting glass, and they will attract the attention of neighboring tables... if you don't break a tooth.

However, we recommend pouring yourself a The Macallan with an Ice Ball. This is serving whisky with a round ice ball, made with a magnificent copper ice press, plunged into the glass, where for the first 30 minutes it primarily cools rather than dilutes the drink. The question is: after these 30 minutes, won't we be drinking water? The answer is: who drinks The Macallan for a full 30 minutes? If we do drink it for more than 30 minutes, it's at least our third drink.

You can find these and other secrets on the www.vida.bg website or at whisky bar Caldo.