Part of the Flavor and Sensory school. Class 2 of 6.
The capability: you nose before you taste, and you know what you are getting from each route.
Prerequisites: Module 15.
The practice
Nose ten spirits blind and describe them before tasting.
Then taste with your nose pinched and notice what disappears — which is most of what you thought was taste.
Then taste the same drink at two temperatures and notice how much more arrives warm.
And practice the orthonasal-retronasal distinction deliberately: nose it, taste it, and pay attention to what arrives after swallowing.
The reference
The same sample, nosed and tasted, and the same sample at two temperatures.
What you are building
The recognition that most of flavor is smell, which is a fact people know and do not use.
And the practical consequence: cold suppresses aroma substantially, which is why a batch tasted warm in its container is not the drink the guest receives.
Verification and boundary
Blind identification of five spirits by nose alone.
Boundary: none specific.