What do you guys use to clean your palette?

[Thesh]

Bread? Crackers? Water? Beer?

If I'm sipping whisk(e)y I like to sip a glass of water at room temperature after every sip. I first drank refrigerated water, but it seems to numb my taste buds.

[peergynt323]

I always fill the glass with room temperature water and drink it before pouring another dram. I rarely do two in a row of the same whisky.

I think it's more important to cleanse your palate with wine, although I don't do that either.

[Deactivated Member]

Room temperature water, and after a few whiskies tasted, neutral white bread.

[Paul A Jellis]

I use water and oat cakes, you can also clear your nose (not in that sense!) by holding your nose over the water and breathing in as deeply as you can through your nose.

You will then be able to carry on and 'nose' your next whisky.

[vitara7]

again, as folk have said beofre, water, but i like it a few degress above room temp, just own preferance as i have sensitive teeth... i know, what a fairy....

[Nock]

I find it best to clean my nose (not my my palette) by smelling some fresh ground coffee beans. I will also drink some room temperature water.

But when I am doing a comparison between different single malts I find that the smell of coffee does more then anything else to bring my senses back to 0.

Nock

[Lawrence]

Water is best for me but not chilled which dulls the taste buds for a time. A few sniffs of a still glass of water will accomplish much the same as coffee beans although they both work equally well.

[Di Blasi]

I find it best to clean my nose (not my my palette) by smelling some fresh ground coffee beans. I will also drink some room temperature water.

But when I am doing a comparison between different single malts I find that the smell of coffee does more then anything else to bring my senses back to 0.

Nock

Yes, I use coffee too for my nose! But I'll have to try Paul A Jellis's method, "you can also clear your nose (not in that sense!) by holding your nose over the water and breathing in as deeply as you can through your nose."
For my palette, either water or dark chocolate, 100% cocoa!

[Muskrat Portage]

I prefer clean, clear tap water from Lake of the Woods. It cleanses the palate very well for the next tasting and inhaling above the glass seems to help "reset" the nasal sensors. I've used distilled water but prefer that from the tap.

I've tried the oat cakes/dry bread routine with mixed results but for me tap water works best. I'd like to try it with the same distillery water that's been used to make the whisky someday, but that's not a viable possibility at present.

Muskrat
(Edit: we had used bread to cleanse until apprised that bread has similar ingrediants to whisky and doesn't truly clean the palate. MP)

[Deactivated Member]

Lots of room temperature water and plain, white bread.

MT

[les taylor]

Chilled water for me. Its also refreshing.

[Sherried Malt]

Chilled Perrier or the like works best for me. Much better than still...

[heatmiser]

To clear my palate I like eating tortilla chips and really hot salsa followed by large quantities of Coca-Cola. Seriously, room temp water works best for me.

[Ann-Helen]

coffee

[Mustardhead]

Earl Grey tea, cool or room temperature water, Rakusen's biscuits, Ryvita, anything as long as I can't taste anything odd whan I take a sip of water before pouring some whisky.

But mostly I just enjoy having a glass of Scotch, a glass of water and a cup of tea all at once

[Virginia Gentleman]

Black coffee or espresso works for me.

[TheLaddie]

Laproaig

[Deactivated Member]

Never bother, unless you count beer.

[Mr Fjeld]

Champagne! - just kidding of course.
I fill my Glencairn with water and drink it between drams. Not to cleanse the palate but to avoid getting drunk and in order to "rinse" the glass. I'm not concerned with my palate and I sometimes enjoy the effect the whiskies have on eachother.

[EdipisReks]

a cigarette.

[duckmcf]

Ardbeg 10yo

[Deactivated Member]

Now that I think of it, I do brush my teeth now and then. PeroxiCare plays heck with Ardbeg, I'll tell you.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Just a small bit of water if I'm tasting quickly after the previous dram. Other wise I just sit back and relax and leave the next dram sit and warm before I go at it, by which time my taste buds have recovered from the previous dram.

[Deactivated Member]

Anyone have thoughts on using dark chocolate? I tried it at Whisky Live but wasn't sure about it. It just seemed wrong.

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Anyone have thoughts on using dark chocolate? I tried it at Whisky Live but wasn't sure about it. It just seemed wrong.

I can't get that either. I actually like eating chocolate with some whiskies if the penchant takes me but to clean your palate does not really work for me. I always just have the taste of chocolate in my mouth for ages after.

[Deactivated Member]

Oatcakes are good for me along with some cool water.

[Deactivated Member]

I use oatcakes and water but I do wonder whether this leads to more perception of toasty, biscuity flavours as the night wears on. The dark chocolate didn't leave much of an aftertaste, but I wonder whether the oils get in the way of whisky.

[Deactivated Member]

Oatcakes are good for me along with some cool water.

Is Perrier cool enough for you?

[Bob & Jill]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the recent post "Matching malts" where we have the argument for NOT cleansing your palate. I typically drink two different whiskys during an evening session by the fire. Usually the first is a non-, or lightly, peated scotch. Following this, I go to a peated scotch and, for me, and for Jill, and apparently for a few others, we experience enhanced complexity. Then moving from, say, Ardbeg to perhaps Highland Park there is often (not always) an enhancement of flavours--never a diminution. So then, what I "cleanse" my palate with is scotch.

Bob

[irishwhiskeychaser]

Hi Bob, I like to follow my malts with others like you do also. Yes you do get certian interesting profiles after the pervious malt. However I do not consiously do this but it is great when it works.

I think in relation to cleansing ones palate though that that is specifically for getting the unadulterated taste of the next malt by banishing the previous taste.

To be quite honest I'm not overly fussed about oat cakes either ... like chewing chipwood

Each to his own

[Bulkington]

spelt sesame sticks....

[Dan G]

Champagne! - just kidding of course.

Actually, it may be one of the best palate cleansers there is. Just before xmas, I was at a walk-about tasting at my local liquor store, and invite only event for regular customers. There were a few whiskys and about 30 wines being poured. After about every third taste, I would head back to the table which was sampling champagne, because it refreshed my taste buds (especially after a few big oaky red wines).

[Danny]

Whisky works well for me, although a Laphroaig cleansing always has my Auchentoshan tasting somewhat peaty.

Bottled water, room temperature or an unsalted cracker.

[Muskrat Portage]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the recent post "Matching malts" .... So then, what I "cleanse" my palate with is scotch.Bob

Bob and Jill:
Where have you been? I know it's too cold for a canoe trip, anywhere interesting? Welcome back to the forums.
Peter

[Deactivated Member]

Linseed oil.