"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

Remember Episode 14, when master blender Max McFarlane gave John what he calls "an off note whisky"?

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Max!"

It took John a while to the find words to describe what he was tasting. But he finally got there: "It tastes like... poison!"

Well that was an extreme example. But what else can go wrong with whisky? And how can you spot a bad whisky on the nose before it gets anywhere near your tongue?

In this episode, Max gives John a masterclass in how to spot bad whisky aromas with the aid of a few random samples from the Aroma Academy's Faults Aroma Training Kit. The kit's designed to help people develop "aroma recogntion skills". And, Max says, even master blenders do this kind of training.

So stand by for descriptions like "solvent", "black tea with a peated note", "nail varnish", "your granny's old cupboard", and John's particular favourite "cheesy vomit".

"You may not find all of them in a whisky," Max says, "but you're training your nose."

And as an additional bonus, do you always have to spend £50 or £60 on a nice whisky?

Producer Holmsey stopped by his local Lidl on the way to this recording and picked up two whiskies for under £20.

So tune in to find out how John and Max get on at nosing artificially manufactured unpleasant aromas, and to get Max's verdict on Lidl's Glen Orchy 5 Year Old Blended Malt Whisky and its Balmuir 3 Year Blended Scotch Whisky.

Which one do you think "wants to holiday in your palate", as Max puts it?

Slàinte!

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Socials:

@C2GWhisky

@JohnRossBeattie

Creator & producer: David Holmes

Art work & design: Jess Robertson

Music: Water of Life (Never Going Home)

Vocals: Andrea Cunningham

Guitars: John Beattie

Bass: Alasdair Vann

Drums: Alan Hamilton

Bagpipes: Calum McColl

Accordion: Gary Innes

Music & Lyrics: Andrea Cunningham & John Beattie

Recorded & mixed by Murray Collier at La Chunky Studios, Glasgow, Scotland

Special thanks: The Piper Whisky Bar, 57 Cochrane Street, Glasgow, Scotland

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