Learning to taste whiskey like a pro (and this goes for any spirit, really) is a journey. There are steps. There is a vocabulary to get a handle on. And then there’s a lot of f*cking practice required ...

Wayne Curtis is a New Orleans-based writer who has covered liquor, cocktail, bars and spirits history for the past two decades. He's the author of "And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in ...