Bourbon Sensory Kits: What to Look For & Top Options
How to Find the Best Bourbon Aroma Kit for At-Home Whiskey Tasting
We think that a bourbon sensory kit is one of the best gifts you can get for the whiskey drinker in your life. Why? It’s unique, it serves a real purpose that anyone from a beginner to connoisseur can enjoy, and it’s something that can be used endlessly.
The important thing then is making sure you choose the right item. One of the key factors to consider is not just a scent kit with random aromas and flavors, but rather, one which classifies the different notes based on real, signature notes you get in whiskey, and also where those flavors come from.
Consider bourbon, which has to be aged in new charred American oak. That type of barrel provides a huge impact on flavor, and therefore, has to be considered as a primary area in which to derive the scents in your kit. Besides the impact of oak, the type of grain used—and with bourbon it must be 51% corn—is another major source of flavor, along with the specifics of fermentation, whether any barrel finishes were used and so forth.
When you think about the source of an aroma then, you’re better able to classify it. Further, thinking about groups of flavors in terms of vanilla and its derivatives, fruit notes which come from esters, floral and herbal notes, grain notes, and more, helps you distinguish and search for specific qualities.
Besides making sure your kit therefore properly homes in on real bourbon flavors and separates those notes to help you make sense of it all, you also want to think about a few other factors: 1) what type of presentation the kit has 2) how many different aromas or scents are included and 3) whether the item comes with any additional educational material.
From there, choose your price range and you’re ready to go. Here’s what we’ve found with some of our favorite sensory kits for bourbon tasting.
Top Bourbon Sensory Kits
Amazon.com 
Of course, we have plenty of other whiskey gift ideas and options throughout the site. What we love about the aroma kits for bourbon tasting is that they’re fun, they’re interactive, and they’re educational. And we think they’re pretty impressive, too. Go ahead and get tasting.
