How to Encourage Conversation Without Influencing People's Tastes

One of the biggest challenges when hosting a whisky tasting is knowing when to speak and when to listen. After all, it's natural to want to share your own tasting notes especially if the group is a quiet one. But if you describe every aroma and flavour before your guests have had a chance to explore the whisky themselves, you might accidentally shape what they think they're "supposed" to taste.

So how do you encourage discussion without influencing people's perceptions?

We asked some of EWA teachers and contributing experts for their advice.

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For Joe Cabassa, conversation begins with curiosity.

"The best way to encourage conversation is asking questions and then giving your opinion but to start the conversation, not to impose it."

Rather than beginning with your own tasting notes, invite guests to share theirs. What stands out? What does the whisky remind them of? How does it compare with the previous dram? When someone offers an answer, acknowledge it, build on it and then, if it's helpful, share your own perspective.

The aim isn't to arrive at one "correct" answer. It's to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing.

Share your experience, not your expectations

Gordon Steele believes hosts should absolutely talk about what they find in the glass. The key is how they do it.

"You can certainly say what the flavours you experience are... but don't say, 'These are the flavours you should have.'"

That distinction makes a big difference. Saying "I'm getting chocolate and raspberries" invites discussion. Saying "You should be getting chocolate and raspberries" closes it down.

Gordon also encourages hosts to involve quieter guests, asking how they're experiencing the whisky rather than waiting for the most confident voices to speak first.

Keep the conversation flowing

For whisky writer Dave Broom, the secret is:

"Keep it simple."

Instead of saving questions until the end, encourage them throughout the tasting.

"Don't wait until the last minute to say, 'Now I'm going to take questions.'"

Whisky tastings work best when they're conversations rather than presentations. Questions naturally lead to more questions. Guests build on each other's observations, stories emerge and people relax. By the end of the tasting, everyone has contributed, not because they were put on the spot but because they felt comfortable enough to join in.

Every opinion adds to the experience

One of the joys of whisky tasting is discovering how differently people experience the same dram. One guest might find old leather boots. Another might think of shoe polish. Someone else might be reminded of a musty old pub. None of those observations are "incorrect." They're different perspectives that make the discussion richer. As a host, your role isn't to decide which answer you agree with. It's to help everyone explore what they're experiencing and encourage them to share it.

Great tastings sound like conversations

Looking across all of our experts' advice, one principle stands above everything else. The best whisky tastings don't feel like lectures, they feel like conversations. When people feel comfortable sharing what they're tasting, they leave with something far more valuable than a list of flavour notes. They leave with confidence.