Rule 1: The base layer (eat like you mean it)

The mistake: Rolling up on an empty stomach or eating a piece of toast and calling it breakfast.

The fix: You need carbs and fats to slow alcohol absorption. Think: full Scottish breakfast, pasta, a proper sandwich. Anything substantial.

Why it matters: Alcohol on an empty stomach hits your bloodstream fast. Your palate goes numb, your judgement gets fuzzy, and you waste £40 worth of samples by 1 PM.

Pro tip: Eat a heavy lunch before you walk into the venue. Once you're inside, you'll be too busy tasting to stop for food.

Rule 2: The 1:1 water rule (non-negotiable)

The rule: For every dram you taste, drink an equal measure of water.

Why? Alcohol dehydrates your tongue. A dry tongue cannot taste flavour. By your fifth whisky, you're tasting "booze" instead of "smoke and citrus."

How to do it: Most festivals have water stations. Use them. Aggressively. Between every single tasting.

Bonus: Water also slows you down, which is exactly what you need.

Rule 3: The spittoon is your friend (use it)

In wine tasting, spitting is standard. In whisky tasting, people act like it's a war crime.

It isn't.

If you swallow every drop of 20 samples (each around 25ml), you're consuming half a bottle of whisky in 2 hours. That's not tasting. That's binge drinking.

The strategy:
Taste the whisky. Enjoy the palate and the finish. Then spit or dump the rest. You don't have to finish the glass just because it's free.

Remember: You're there to taste, not to get drunk. If your goal is to get hammered, buy a bottle of cheap blend and stay home.

Rule 4: Don't go in blind (have a plan)

The mistake: "I'll just wander around and see what looks good."

This is how you end up standing in a 20-minute queue for a distillery you don't even like while missing the rare cask-strength release two booths over.

The fix: The hit list method

Before you arrive:

1. Pick 5 "Must try" distilleries (check the festival exhibitor list)

2. Hit them first while your palate is fresh (10 AM to 12 PM)

3. Wander later once you've secured your priorities

Pro tip: Use Dramfly to build your hit list in advance. Tag the ones you want to try. Check them off as you go. If you don't track it, you'll forget it.

Rule 5: Palate fatigue is real (reset your nose)

After 6 peated whiskies in a row, your nose goes blind. Everything starts tasting the same.

The problem: Your olfactory receptors are overloaded. They need a reset.

The fix: Smell your own forearm (or the back of your hand). Seriously.

Your skin's natural pH acts as a palate cleanser for your nose. After 2 to 3 sniffs of your arm, go back to the glass. You'll smell it clearly again.

Why this works: It's the same reason coffee beans are placed in perfume shops. Neutral scents reset your senses.

Does it look weird? Yes. Does it work? Absolutely.

Rule 6: Track everything (or you'll forget)

Here's the brutal truth: You'll forget 80% of what you taste within 48 hours.

That "amazing smoky one from the corner booth"? Gone. That "sweet sherry bomb you loved"? No idea what it was called.

The fix: Log as you go.

Snap a photo. Rate it. Add quick notes. Dramfly does this in 15 seconds, even when you're three drams deep and your handwriting is illegible.

Why it matters: When you're shopping for bottles later (or telling friends what to try), you'll actually remember what you liked.