My personal tasting rituals take place in my special, 'virtually antique' smoking chair. The lights are dimmed, and there's some soothing music (preferably Albinoni or Puccinni) playing in the background. The largest cognac snifter in my collection is already warmed-up (just a little!) and the bottle I'm about to sample is placed before me on the coffee table. I always take my time to carefully check the label for the corny stories that the marketing people have made up.

Obviously, this sensory enhancement is completely wasted when drinking dribble like Ballantine's, Johnny Walker Red, or Old Smugglers. In my humble opinion, the blenders of these whiskies should be prosecuted for crimes against humanity in general and my taste-buds in particular...

When I started out tasting single malts, I could hardly distinguish a Talisker from a Lagavulin, but after a while entire universes of complexity opened up to me. A pleasant side-effect of the sharpening of my senses is that it has enhanced my enjoyment of the 'simpler' blends like Teacher's and Bailie Nicol Jarvie.

As soon as I became aware of this sensory overdrive I started keeping notes on all the malts I tasted and rated them in my little black book. After a while I was amazed to find that I was sometimes able to roughly determine the origin of a malt just by absorbing it's aroma.
On a few occasions I've even managed to recognize a specific label in an "honest blind test". This parlor trick actually won me two bottles of Bowmore 12 yrs. on a bet a few years back.

I'm under the distinct impression that the more whiskies you taste, the more you'll be able to appreciate the differences in character, style and complexity. Maybe it's just my overactive imagination, but I even have the notion that my sense of smell and taste have developed considerably as a result of the tasting of many different whiskies.

After the last notes of the taste bud symphony have drifted away, I add a teensy weensy splash of water and start nosing again. When I'm feeling particularly wild I might even add some more water.

Ahh...., the gentle "Plop!" of the cork..., the promising
"Gloo... gloo... gloo..." of the whisky filling my glass....

And then the real fun starts. After sniffing with my nose a few inches above the glass, I put my nose in the glass and take in another big whiff. Then I waltz the glass and nose once more. Finally, I have my first sip and let the taste of the whisky fill my mouth., concentrate on the "structure" and taste development of the malt, which can be an amazing experience.

Depending on the amount of water, the taste and aroma of some malts seems to keep unfolding, releasing different layers every time. After I've sniffed the last drop I like to smoke a good cigar while making notes in my Little Black Book.

This ritual is my personal equivalent of the Japanese tea-ceremony.  I find it just as relaxing and I don't get tea-leaves in my mouth... 

But wait a minute - I'm wandering off again.
I was telling you about my personal "aqua vitae" tasting ritual.
Except - there's not much else to tell, really. If you want to learn more about the fundamentals of malt whisky tasting, check out the chapter on nosing and tasting in the Beginner's Guide.