If you’ve ever read a guide to tasting whiskey, you’ve likely come across the notion that you’re supposed to give your dram a swirl and look at the so-called “legs,” or drips, that form on the sides of the glass. We’ve already covered the topic of swirling in another post, but what exactly are those legs, and what can they tell us about a whiskey? It turns out this is a surprisingly controversial and widely misunderstood topic, not just in the whiskey world, but also among enclaves of oenophiles and rum drinkers.

Legs, sometimes called tears, have to do with the surprisingly complicated interaction…