First, the gentle sniff.

Next, the tentative sip.

Finally, the exclamation: “Whew, I think I just grew a couple of hairs on my chest!”

Not the most desired effect for a woman, but a common sensation for whiskey rookies.

Alicon Lee attended her first bourbon tasting recently at Amerigo. The 28-year-old product developer from Franklin went there to learn the finer points — and potentially bracing side effects — of whiskey drinking.

She is one of many Nashvillians embracing the surging popularity of the liquor. Inspired by pop culture throwbacks such as Mad Men and the increased availability of high-quality whiskey, Nashville drinkers are becoming more curious about the amber-hued libation. The result is a swell in local tasting parties and the success of bars such as Whiskey Kitchen and Patterson House, which specialize in inventive whiskey drinks.

“Honestly, I think it is a resurgence and a new trend rolled into one,” said Chris Shearer, manager of Nashville’s Midtown Wine and Spirits. “In my opinion, we are experiencing a comeback of the cocktail culture.”

In truth, whiskey and bourbon drinks are nothing new. Jack and Coke is an everlasting Saturday night staple for the post-college bar crowd, but classic drinks have experienced a recent revival on the scene.

Since The Patterson House opened in April, General Manager Josh Habiger has been surprised at the number of people who order Old Fashioneds and Manhattans. He thinks it’s inspired by AMC’s drama Mad Men, which is set in 1960s New York, when three-cocktail lunches were in vogue.

“What your grandfather used to drink, you are drinking now,” said Doug Bowman of Horizon Wine and Spirits.

Only it’s better. What once was a limited sampling of mainstream liquors has turned into a sophisticated selection of whiskey, bourbon and scotch. The tastes are more specialized, with single-batch or single-barrel productions, and the quality is more refined — made for sipping rather than mixing.

“When something is mass produced, it is harsher,” said Ed Fryer of The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills. “It has more of an alcohol burn and sometimes leaves an interesting and not-so-good aftertaste. These will be less offensive. They are of incredible quality and pedigree, making them smoother and cleaner with a great finish.”

Locally, small-batch productions could become increasingly available as more distilleries take advantage of a new law that now allows the distillation of spirits in 44 Tennessee counties. The old law allowed only three counties — the homes of the Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel and Prichards’ Rum distilleries — to make liquor.

The experience is not for everyone, as Lee said at the Amerigo tasting. Even though her fiancé, Matt Rogers, is a veritable encyclopedia when it comes to whiskey, the drink just didn’t have the same appeal for Lee.

“I am more in tune with how to order it and how to drink it,” she said. “But I will probably stick with wine.”

But there are women who have taken to the fad. The number of female clientele ordering whiskey drinks at The Patterson House has surprised Habiger.

“Whiskey seems more macho,” he said. “A guy comes in and says, ‘I’ll have a whiskey on the rocks,’ that sort of thing. A lot of women are doing that at The Patterson House, which is awesome.”

Overall, the beverage gets a lot of interest. Three of the bar’s top 10 cocktails are whiskey-based, Habiger said. The most ordered of those is Vincent’s Ruin, which is bourbon mixed with St. Germain, an elderflower liqueur, and lemon juice in a glass rinsed with absinthe. At last count, it was the bar’s third-most-popular drink — trailing the gin-based Juliet & Romeo and the rum-based Dark and Stormy.

That said, Habiger said he believes The Patterson House’s market is different than average. Usually, people who walk through the door are already excited about cocktails, and “Generally, people who are fans of cocktails are fans of whiskey,” he said.

 

A RIVER OF WHISKEY OUT THERE

 

Whether you spell whiskey with or without an “e,” whether it comes from Tennessee, Kentucky or Scotland, all whiskeys share some common traits: They’re all basically distilled bread. You start with a fermented mash of grain, water and yeast; you heat it to no more than 190 degrees; you put it in an oak container; and you don’t bottle it at anything less than 80 proof. Beyond those commonalities, whiskeys are quite a diverse lot. Whole books are dedicated to just the subject of whiskey, but here is a very rudimentary rundown of the primary differences.

Straight bourbon

•  Must be at least 51 percent corn, with the rest being rye or wheat, and malted barley

• Must be aged at least two years in new, charred oak barrels

•  Must go into the barrel at less than 125 proof

•  Cannot be bottled at less than 80 proof

•  No added coloring allowed

Scotch

•  Made entirely from malted barley

•  Aged in new or used oak barrels

•  May add coloring

•  Cannot be bottled at less than 80 proof

 

Tennessee whiskey

• Must be at least 51 percent corn, with the rest being rye or wheat, and malted barley

•  Must be aged at least two years in new, charred oak barrels

•  Filtered through sugar maple charcoal before going into the barrel

•  Must go into the barrel at less than 125 proof

• Cannot be bottled at less than 80 proof

•   No added coloring allowed