For Beginners: A Repost and Recent Thoughts on Personal Differences in Evaluation

The SakeDori administrators and I have been in daily contact, working tirelessly, but the situation has not improved. As it stands, we are unable to post images at all, no matter how many times we attempt it. While the cause remains unknown, we plan to try posting using a different browser when time permits. Furthermore, it's regrettable that even our stock articles with images have disappeared. What can we do until they are restored? We've accumulated many tasting notes, but honestly, I'd prefer to introduce them here with accompanying bottle images. Therefore, I'll once again recommend the article for malt beginners that was published over a year ago. Recently, I've received frequent requests asking for recommendations of whiskies suitable for beginners. At that time, I recommend this page. If you haven't read it yet, please take a look—it was written with considerable effort. · Recommended Whiskies for Malt Beginners (Part 1) (http://www.sakedori.com/s/matsuki/blog/7010.html) · Recommended Whiskies for Malt Beginners (Part 2) (http://www.sakedori.com/s/matsuki/blog/6943.html) Note: Links within the past articles may not function properly as they were migrated from Usukeba to SakeDori. Additionally, since merely reposting past articles feels somewhat lonely, I'll also include a recent thought on whisky—specifically, the concept of thresholds in flavor perception. Here, 'threshold' refers to a boundary value where significant differences occur depending on whether it is exceeded or not. Even when drinking with friends who share similar tastes, opinions can differ regarding elements like perfumy or sulfuric notes, or a paper-like texture—elements generally considered unappealing. There are two types of elements I absolutely cannot accept, but another drinker might find one acceptable while finding the other equally unappealing as I do. However, no matter how many times I compare them, I don't perceive a clear difference between the two. While not as pronounced as off-flavors, similar phenomena might occur with preferred elements too. For example, the powdery concentration of Lagavulin or the sherry character of Dalmore 1972—elements I often enjoy—I might consider two distinct types within the same category as equally appealing, yet some drinkers insist one is particularly exceptional. However, I don't perceive such a clear difference upon repeated comparisons. Perhaps this is due to my personal sensitivity, but I suspect there's a tendency to overvalue certain elements—both liked and disliked. The hypothesis is that each drinker has thresholds for flavor components, where exceeding them leads to strong recognition, particularly noticeable with elements they strongly prefer or dislike. For instance, what one person perceives as balanced due to all components being within their threshold might be seen by another as a standout type because one component exceeds their threshold. Importantly, even minor differences can significantly alter evaluations depending on whether they cross a personal threshold. Considering off-flavors, it might help to think of disliked foods. I dislike celery; if I detect more than a subtle celery note in a salad, I can't enjoy the dish, or rather, I lose the ability to appreciate other elements. For someone who doesn't dislike celery, they might not even notice its presence—that's the difference in thresholds. Some people may find what I consider ordinary to be exceptionally delicious or particularly disliked. Others might perceive two very similar types as entirely different. While this could be a matter of preference, such experiences often arise when discussing whisky with malt enthusiasts at bars. This concept helps explain some of the discomfort I've felt during these discussions. Incidentally, beginners with low experience might not detect off-flavors because they don't recognize these elements as distinct, thus lacking the criteria to evaluate them and rarely exceeding their thresholds. Conversely, experienced drinkers tend to be more tolerant of off-flavors, possibly because their thresholds have risen through exposure to intense elements, making it less likely they cross the boundary. This is speculative, and I've written this quickly, so if parts are unclear, please forgive me. This is my current thinking; I'll update the article if new insights arise. Thank you for your continued support.