Adding water to your single malt

[winelover]

I've never actually added water to any scotch I've ever had, though I do use one ice cube every now and again. My wifey bought me some of those fancy granite drink chillers (since I like the cold flavor, but don't necessarily like it watered down), but they seemed rather strange in the glass... didn't really retain the chill for very long at all and seemed more gimmicky than anything else.

Hi Greg

If you do ever experiment, add half a teaspoon at a time.and make sure you don't use a tumbler, ideally a glencairn glass or a sherry copita.

But we all enjoy our whisky in different ways of course

Cheers

G

So, I voted "no" because I bet 90% of the time it's just neat.

Cheers,

~ Greg ~

[ptrthgr8]

Hi Greg

If you do ever experiment, add half a teaspoon at a time.and make sure you don't use a tumbler, ideally a glencairn glass or a sherry copita.

But we all enjoy our whisky in different ways of course

Cheers

G

I drink my scotch from one of these:

Even my non-Balvenie varieties. But don't tell anyone.

I'll try your suggestion some time just to see what difference it makes. Nothing wrong at all with drinking scotch in the name of science. SCIENCE!

[Guest rob]

I continue to experiment with my whiskey collection - mainly to see what happens when I do.

However, I find I am consistently drawn to the flavour, aroma and mouthfeel of whiskey that is 'neat' and I have a strong prefernce to actually warm it up in the same way as cognac or brandy. I have found that cooling the whiskey in any way whatsoever really closes the profile and mutes it.

I thouroughly recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet tried it.

[winelover]

I drink my scotch from one of these:

Even my non-Balvenie varieties. But don't tell anyone.

I'll try your suggestion some time just to see what difference it makes. Nothing wrong at all with drinking scotch in the name of science. SCIENCE!

Indeed. Nice glass btw.

[Troels]

Oh - as well I like laphroig and 7-up!

[IPORTER]

Was at an official tasting of Ardbeg here in Barcelona and was told by a guy to try a wee dram with distilled water. Now, I'm drinking whiskey a few years and never heard of this....anyone??

I prefer mine without water with one to two ice cubes. cheers.

[Firebender]

I drop a slow melting big ice cube in mine

[garbandz]

Was at an official tasting of Ardbeg here in Barcelona and was told by a guy to try a wee dram with distilled water. Now, I'm drinking whiskey a few years and never heard of this....anyone??

I prefer mine without water with one to two ice cubes. cheers.

curious to learn...........what are your ice cubes made of?

from a purely scientific standpoint I will try a few drops of water in a single malt if it tastes tight or if the proof is too high for me to enjoy it.

sometimes water opens the nose and softens the impact to the palate.sometimes water simply dilutes the flavors,so I do not use it in really old malts.

I have tried the product of 130 + different distilleries,some silent now,some very new,and some gone altogether .

If you count different expressions(purveyors,ages,finishes) of single malts,perhaps I have tried 200.........

Age does not improve all of them,finishing in fancy barrels can be a waste of good spirit,and marketing adds to the cost but not to the value.

Private providers can create extraordinary bottles,distilleries can sell disgusting bottles/single casks......

[Piligrim]

Before I visited London I drunk clear, but friend from London taught me to add a teaspoon of water and I put it every time

[Piligrim]

About glasses: I have almost the same but Dalmore

[Habana Mike]

I drink my scotch from one of these:

Even my non-Balvenie varieties. But don't tell anyone.

I'll try your suggestion some time just to see what difference it makes. Nothing wrong at all with drinking scotch in the name of science. SCIENCE!

That's be a Glencairn glass mate...the traditional and ideal whisky tasting glass. Got a set myself.

[shlomo]

Before I visited London I drunk clear, but friend from London taught me to add a teaspoon of water and I put it every time

A whole teaspoon!?! Holy moly!

[Piligrim]

A whole teaspoon!?! Holy moly!

Not whole.... A little bit water on teaspoon

[Cisco]

I voted for water even though I usually don't add it I will sometimes add a drop of water if I find the flavours muted or if it's a new SM to me and I want to compare how it tastes with and without.

I remember a tasting I attended years ago and the professional instructing our group provided us with water to add a drop and compare the change in taste. I recall preferring some SMs with a drop of water, as it opened the bouquet of some of them.

[Habana Mike]

So, picked up a bottle of Bruichladdich Islay Barley Rockside Farm. Unpeated, 6 years aged, 50% ABV

Pure golden dram goodness, went straight out at first. Whew, v. nice but that's a touch hot.

Couple drops of spring water, opens up nicely, heats drops a few degrees, lovely dram....given I must disagree with 'never' adding a touch of water, so long as you don't drown the Whisky as the Scots in the pub at the Dalmahoy in Edinburgh advised (quite after the bar closed and we were imbibing our own bottles - tis true, they wear nothing under the kilt!)

Perhaps I should be drinking a different Whisky

[...]

Drink less, drink better...

dress safer

[Skyfall]

Drink less,

What's fun about that???????/

[...]

What's fun about that???????/

I obviously meant 'In the unlikely event one wanders out of Texas...'

[Maplepie]

Never.

I've found a neat trick before drinking cask strength. Use it as chaser for everclear.

Everclear really helps to refresh, clean, and completely sanitise the mouth. Wait 10 seconds, then taste the cask strength liquor in question.

Sent by the Enigma on BlackBerry.

[Habsfan67]

Not as a rule but with the stronger or peatier ones I add a touch.

[MashTea]

I voted yes but it really depends.

I will always have a taste without adding water, and depending on how that goes will add water accordingly.

[jat]

A topic close to my heart.

A little glossary clarity first. SCOTCH is something that comes after butter or is part of a children's hoping game.

WHISKY is the way it's spelt and the 'E' is like ice, best left out or mixed with coke.

Best water story I have comes from the Talisker distillery.

While enjoying a wee dram there in 2000, the distiller offered me a small jug of brown water and suggested a few drops.

It was the same peaty water drawn from the spring that goes into the whisky.

Changed everything.

The chlorinated, fluorinated, out of the tap stuff just doesn't cut it for me.

But if you like the taste imparted by a few drops then do it.

[Habana Mike]

So my distiller suggests adding water to my single malt.

From the back label:

"We recommend that you add twice as much water as whiskey to fully appreciate the taste characteristics of Original Cask Strength Laphraoig"

Seriously!

I imagine you'd barely taste the whiskey with that much dilution. So what I did, I added twice as much water as I generally do. 4 drops instead of 2!

[shlomo]

Just bought a bottle of aberlour 12, it came with water from the Speyside region, near the distillery, in a small bottle. Needless to say, ill keep the small bottle unopened. Forever.

[cliff]

I voted no,

I drink water at The gym And whisky at Home, or if I have a bad day And i'm mistaken, water at Home And whisky at The gym

Haha