Still a beginner, but some things that have helped me that may help you:

1. Your pallet defines as you go along, so don’t be afraid to be trashy. My first whiskey was a honey jack and coke.

2. What flavors do you enjoy in the wild? A lot like how you like the flavors of coffee, you will probably like in whiskey. Do you enjoy chocolate? Vanilla? Caramel? Or do you like raspberry? Cheesecake? Spicy wings? Cigars? These are all base flavors that you can find and match in bourbon or whiskey. Check the flavor profiles of the bottle, or ask around.

3. Garnishes can enhance the flavors of the whiskey. I love old fashioneds because it lets the whiskey shine while curbing the ethanol effects. But I like to do a couple of twists now and again. Instead of original or orange bitters I usually use cocoa bitters and brown sugar, to enhance the flavor profiles already present. You can do the same with the garnish; if it has more of a rich flavor you can garnish it with just a sweet cherry or real fruit in sugar, if it has berry profiles you can garnish them with raspberries, etc. This lets the flavors out to play very similar as when you add drops of water to it.

4. Be patient, and let it breathe. If you sip too soon, the burn of the proof can overpower the flavor profile. You don’t have to worry about this too much if you’re mixing a drink, but if you drink it neat, on the rocks, or use very little ingredients, you’ll need to let it breathe and swirl it around like you would a wine.

That’s what I have so far. Also matching the flavor profile also goes with mixing the drink as well. Example: a lot of people like a “jack and coke”, and that IS good, but if you want a whiskey soda I’d recommend a genuine root beer, because the vanilla in the root beer elevates and matches the vanilla in a lot of bourbons.