Hearing the spirit talk: Part 3 of our Sense Series

Talk about keeping the balance. Its safe to say that most of us are aware that our ears help us to keep our balance through the vestibular system but believe it or not, the ear is also involved in taste. 

Before we delve into that marvel, here are a few facts about ears that could greatly impact how you live your life.

The smallest bones in the body can be found in the ears; the stapes, the incus and the malleus. Together, they are about the size of a penny. 

Your ears never stop working, even when you are sleeping, they are still hearing. However the body has mechanisms to ignore these sounds for sleep and rest unless it alerts you. 

But let's get back to our ears helping us taste. The chorda tympani nerve connects your taste buds to your brain through your middle ear. It is highly specialised and deals with general sensations like temperature and pain but also taste signals on the front of the tongue. How amazing is the human body!

So, how does this fit into sensing a spirit? As the ears are used predominantly to listen to things, its important to listen to the story about the spirit you are consuming. Ask a question to clarify your understanding, and feel free to make a statement that reflects your understanding or perspective. We are constantly consuming marketing and ads of all sorts of brands all around us all of the time. But as you move along your spirits journey you will eventually be able to absorb only what is important to you.

It's also important to listen and hear what your peers have to say. Recommendations by trusted companions can also influence your thoughts about the spirits' characteristics, its quality and your experience of it. Comprehending what they have to say from their perspective may also open the mind a bit. It's also important to hear what is not said.

But for me, the most important part of the hearing sense is to listen to yourself. There is no better person to experience the spirits for you, other than you. You have a certain appreciation for the product, you enjoy its story, have 'seen-it-to-believe-it' with a distillery visit or perhaps really just enjoy its taste.

And that's all there is to it really. It doesn't have to be exotic or technical, its just needs to be authentic and there is nothing more authentic that your senses. 

Cheers,

Kelly