Diageo unveils single malt flavour map

Pubs are being invited to get behind a new whisky 'taste map' which will make it easier for drinkers to find their perfect single malt.

Diageo has teamed up with one of the UK's leading drinks experts to demystify a category it believes intimidates pub-goers.

The drinks giant's brands team worked together with award-winning spirits writer Dave Broom to devise the new system, which puts every major single malt in the UK market on a flavour scale.

The aim is to show licensees and drinkers which single malts will fit in with their palette.

Dave Broom told the Publican that looking at malt whisky by flavour profile was much easier than analysing by region. "Regional malts do not have the same characteristics," he said. "Breaking the category down into flavours makes it much easier to understand the similarities and differences between malts.

"This map will give licensees the opportunity to communicate their whisky range to consumers. When they are faced with a wall of 10 whiskies at the bar they panic and go for a default brand."