Learn the real difference between orthonasal and retronasal olfaction, why “nosing” a whiskey and tasting it engage two different pathways to your brain, and how to use both together.

Move past vague words like “spicy” or “smooth” to precise, traceable notes, telling baking spice from black pepper, and tracing each one back to yeast, grain, or wood.

Practice the three-stage evaluation professionals use, Visual, Olfactory, and Gustatory, using techniques like the Gentle Sniff and the Alcohol Clear to isolate individual aromas.

About the course

This module builds the sensory foundation for everything else in the American Whiskey Scholar curriculum. You'll learn the science of taste and smell, work through the AWS Flavor Data Board's sweet-and-savory structure, and complete hands-on “nose-memory” exercises using pantry staples and 2–3 bourbons of your choice. By the end, you'll be able to run a full visual, olfactory, and gustatory evaluation and describe what you find with real precision.  This is a standalone module, it does not include the Level One exam or certification, which are only awarded with the complete 10-module program.

Your Instructor: Susan Reigler

Susan Reigler wrote the book on American whiskey. Eight of them, actually. She's the author or co-author of eight books on bourbon and American spirits, an adjunct professor of Beer & Spirits at Eastern Kentucky University, and a working spirits judge, which means she's spent decades doing exactly what this course teaches you to do, at a level most drinkers never reach. She's judged whiskeys against each other by the hundreds, trained hospitality students on the science behind every barrel, and turned some of the industry's driest regulations into stories people actually remember. That's the instructor behind every module in American Whiskey Scholar: someone who has done the tasting, read the fine print, and can tell you, precisely, why your glass tastes the way it does.

Curriculum

1 Chapter · 19 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      I. Sensory Anatomy and Perception - The Five Basic Tastes

    2. (Included in full purchase)

      I. Sensory Anatomy and Perception - Olfaction: Aroma vs. Flavor

    3. (Included in full purchase)

      II. The Core Flavor Categories

    4. (Included in full purchase)

      American Whiskey Scholar Flavor Board

    5. (Included in full purchase)

      III. The American Whiskey Flavor Board and Its Use

    6. (Included in full purchase)

      IV. Sensory Training: Isolating Aromas

    7. (Included in full purchase)

      IV. Sensory Training: Isolating Aromas - Equipment

    8. (Included in full purchase)

      IV. Sensory Training: Isolating Aromas - The "Nose-Memory" Connection

    9. (Included in full purchase)

      IV. Sensory Training: Isolating Aromas - Isolating Aromas in the Glass (The Protocol in Practice)

    10. (Included in full purchase)

      Introduction to Nosing & Tasting

    11. (Included in full purchase)

      V. The Standardized Sensory Protocol (Visual, Smell, Taste)

    12. (Included in full purchase)

      V. The Standardized Sensory Protocol - Stage 1: Visual Inspection (The "Look")

    13. (Included in full purchase)

      V. The Standardized Sensory Protocol - Stage 2: Olfactory Analysis (The "Nose")

    14. (Included in full purchase)

      V. The Standardized Sensory Protocol - Stage 3: Gustatory/Tactile Evaluation (The "Palate" and "Finish")

    15. (Included in full purchase)

      VI. Outside Study: Tasting Practice

    16. (Included in full purchase)

      VII. Glossary of Key Sensory and Regulatory Terms

    17. (Included in full purchase)

      Quiz

    18. (Included in full purchase)

      VIII. Review

    19. (Included in full purchase)

      IX. Recommended Reading

Start building your palate.

Enroll in Flavor Board & Components and start tasting with real precision.

$49.00

Enroll now