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I've read that a the proper way to appreciate a single malt scotch is to put a 'splash' of water in it. This supposedly releases the flavor of the malt. I had always drank my single malt neat but have recently started doing the splash. Just a few drops really. So I'm wondering if any of the other single malt lovers out there do the same ?
This single malt lover, uses a splash of a single ice cube...i know, bad form...but oh, it goes so gooooood!
Mac
That it was the only way to do ice Scotch Single Malt and a touch of water
I haven't really sampled too many Single Malts yet, but any time I drink any good Irish Whiskey I drink it on the rocks. It seems to give it time to meld with the whiskey, let out the flavor more, and keep me from drinking it like its Jack Daniels. ;-)
Go to the Portland-PNW razor meet and i'll bring a few of the nice single malts to sample. ;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by srkilpatrick
Mac
I would love to, but unfortunately, I've moved five time in the last three months. I'm now located in Austin, Tx. Thank you so much for the offer though! I was reading about the meet and I'm really sad I won't be able to make it!
I also add a splash of water. While I do sometimes do without when I'm lazy, I do find that adding a bit of water makes the Scotch more enjoyable to drink.
Ice is typically not a good choice because dropping the temp dulls the flavor, and the ice continues to melt as you drink, so your drink gets progressively more watery (yes, you could drink it faster, but I like to sip and enjoy).
Your right Dylan.Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
The ice also, lowers the temp, thus inhibiting the vapors/aroma experience...but i stil like it. lol
Mac
Few years back I ran into a a guy giving out samples in a shop in London and had quite a long chat with him. He mentioned that a dash of water would be best, since it would dilute the alcohol so it won't desensitise the tastebuds. This is especially true for cask strength whiskys running to 60% alcohol.
Another story which a relative of mine told me was seeing some bigshot businessman order a shot of some very expensive whisky and then proceeding to drown it in coca-cola. Which is a sin and a shame to do to high quality whisky and does nothing to your reputation.
Having said those. I guess it is pretty much up to anyone how he likes to drink it. Sometimes I use dash of water/mineral water to get the alcohol burn out, sometimes I do it on the rocks and sometimes with a mineral water. I think all are acceptable alternatives as long as you enjoy the good stuff :)
Depending on what I'm drinking, I may have it neat (smoother whiskies, such as Irish whiskies, Speyside or Highland malts, or a smoother Islay malt) or on the rocks (cheaper blends, which I generally drink with a pipe or cigar - the tobacco smothers the whiskey flavour, so adding ice lengthens the drink - I can taste it fine at the start, but by the time the tobacco flavour's filling my mouth the drink's more for a brief respite from the tobacco than for any real savouring of the flavour). If it's a stronger or rougher Islay malt, I may add a few cubes of ice to it, I find the cooling down of the scotch makes it smoother, although that may also be the addition of the water from the melting ice.
I personally haven't noticed much difference, if any, from adding water to a good single malt, although I haven't opened my cask strength bottle of Laphroaig yet. The extra strength may require me to add something to take a little of the roughness off the edge, so I may look at trying water there and see if it adds much.
First off, YMMV - whiskys have different levels of complexity of flavor, therefore the more complex flavors, especially peety ones, will open up with the addition of water or ice.
I'm not a big fan of watering down my drinks so I add rocks - so called whisky rocks. I keep them in the the freezer and add one or two when needed. So experiment!
Cheers!
I don't water my whisky down at all. Recently finished a bottle of cask strength Lagavulin (very peaty) and enjoyed every sip of it even though it recommends you water it down by a third to get to normal strength..
I wouldn't dream of watering down my favourite which is Dalwhinnie - a light heathery malt.
If I want to mix whisky we get something like Grants (which is nice with ginger beer). Wouldn't touch Teachers to drown slugs - that stuff is vile and should be watered down with washing up water and down the sink...
I drink Aberlour Abunadh, which is a cask strenght single malt. At 60,2% alcohol, if you don't put a splash of water, there is no texture in mouth, it would be like drinking rubbing alcohol.
Sometimes i will drink it as is, no water and blow cigar smoke in and swirl the glass. It's more for the looks than for the taste, as it doesn't do much.
I've got a bottle of that and I drink it quite a bit of water. If not, it's just not good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Antoine
I add about a thimble of water to a couple fingers of whisky. A few drops to release the vapors, as they say. No ice. With a cask strength bottle I add more water.
Agree; a thimble of water opens a good scotch to the nose. Lagavulin is one of my favorites. I recently poured some into two identical scotch glasses (slightly tulip shaped); added just a touch of water to one. I think it made a better nose and therefore better taste. But, if you're buying, neat, on ice, watered.....I'll drink any given amount (emphasis on the "given.")
Best to all and remember, no texting while driving drunk (ok, drink at home).
:HJ:OT (sorry, I don't mean to hijack or go off topic)Quote:
Originally Posted by cubed1
Are you talking about soapstone cubes? How well do they work?
ThinkGeek :: Whiskey Stones
Well the fact that single malt has an alcohol prosentage of 40% or more it numbs the taste buds. So I'd recomend a little splash of of water in the glass... but don't over do it. (Some bars I've been to has that tendency and I don't recomend it.)Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
When I do order whisky at a bar, I usually ask the water in separate glass so I can mix it to my liking. You can also specify the amount of ice cubes.Quote:
Originally Posted by NewShaver
All Single Malts I have neat, and with blends like JW Black I have them with ice...
The one and only Scotch whisky tasting I went to was put on by a college chemistry professor who happened to be from Scotland and had visited most of the distilleries over the years.
He went through all the steps of producing Scotch whisky and pointed out that a goodly number of them were there to reduce the water content. He also pointed out that other than "cask strength" bottles the whisky was eventually watered down before distribution anyway, mostly to meet some arbitrary percentages. If I remember what he said, this was partly done to get certain tax incentives (or avoid tax penalties, depending on your point of view).
So his advice was that it was unreasonable to add a splash of water to something that was already watered down anyway, perhaps even past its ideal. He pointed out that at least the water used by the distillery was the same water the stuff was made from in the first place and that tap water would be a crime against nature.
This gent turned me on to Islay whiskys and I am happier for that! I drink it neat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Logistics
Yup. That be them. They work wonderfully to open up the whisky and they don't change the flavor of the drink at all.
Cheers!
Can you guys give me some suggestions to a Scotch newbie? I'd start me own thread, but given that it's related to Scotch specifically. The only scotch I've tried is some Glenfiddich which I literally added a few drops of water, let the Scotch sit for about twenty minutes and proceeded to taste. Little sips alternated with more or less wetting my lips. I've had strong liquor of different types before, bourbons, rums, vodkas and brandies which I've had straight and enjoyed. Lately I've been into a glass of good sherry which even a mildly sweet sherry is sweet compared to a non-sweet scotch.
I don't smoke which I think makes my tastebuds more sensitive than someone who does.
I found the Glenfiddich to be harsh but not in a good way. A bit of a burning vomit lingering sensation in the back of my throat.
I don't like the taste of Canadian Whiskeys and ironically, although I like a sweeter sherry, I loathe Southern Comfort for example.
Any ideas of a smooth entry level Scotch that I could drink with a splash of water and enjoy sipping? Maybe an Irish whiskey would work better for me?
Thanks guys. Sorry if I derailed this a bit.
Chris L
I think with Scotch, it's easiest to start with a Highland. Some that I have had and would recommend are Glenmorangie, Old Pultney, Scappa, and Jon Mark and Robbo's Rich and Spicey One (not sure how easy this one is to find...).
For Irish Whisky, Black Bush (Bushmill's Black) or Jameson 12 year are both quite good.
Chris...as an all around good, house scotch, i like Dalwhinnie. Its what i serve to friends and keep available. Nice, smooth, peaty, lower end scotch...think it goes for under 60 dollars.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisL
Mac
My fav is The Macallan which is aged in Sherry casks so it has some of that flavor. A love it or hate it single malt I think. Next is Lagavulin 16, Highland Park, Talisker and Laphroaig. Here is a good overview of many of the brands.
If you order whisky in Scotland, particularly outside of major cities, it usually comes mixed with water, about 60% whisky and 40% water.
Thats how I take mine and very nice it is too...! The only one I dont do that with is Chivas, which I have with ice only, because a mate in Australia converted me for that one..!
ChrisL,
If you are looking for the good Scotch whiskey, then Glenfiddich is always good and easy to start with. There are about tens or hundreds of different brands, so take it as a journey until you find the taste you like the best.
My favourite is Laphroaig. I always add a one cube of ice into malt whiskey. Let is melt for 5 minutes or so, and then it is good as mother's milk.
Simple pleasures of life :)
If you can find it, there's a brand of whiskey called "McLeod's Single Malt" - it's actually a very reputable distillery's excess 8yo whiskey that's been bought by McLeod's (an independent bottler) and then sold under their label, for a very affordable price (it's only $45 in New Zealand which makes it maybe $30US).
You can get it in the five major types of Scotch, each from a different well-known distillery that best characterises their particular region of Scotland. These are:
Region - Distillery
Islay - Lagavulin
Highland - Glenfarclas
Lowland - Auchentoshan
Island - Talisker
Speyside - Dun Bheagan (this one may be wrong, I'll have to check with my local store tomorrow)
At that price, you can actually afford to sample each of the regions, and decide which region you like best, and then start to try other whiskies from that particular region. I'd definitely recommend looking for them, either in a bottle store locally, or online.
My dear Jimmy,
How right you are about that little splash of water in the single malt. It does wonders for it.
A great single malt with a whisper of water to awaken all the flavors — that is what I would call a perfect drink.
Well done, Jimmy.
Regards,
Obie
Same - I add a few drops of water. When I am at a bar, I prefer to do it myself, as the bartender tends to add too much.
When I worked in a bar, if someone asked for a Scotch, I'd make a point of asking them how they wanted it. For ice, I'd show them the amount of ice before pouring the scotch and check that it was the right amount for their tastes. For those who said with water, I put some of our filtered water from the soda gun into a small ceramic jug that we used for those who asked for milk on the side with their cup of coffee. That way the drinker could add as much or as little water to their scotch as they wished, and not have to instruct me as to how much they wanted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by holli4pirating
Old Pultney -- GREAT stuff... almost has a sweetness to it. I wouldn't add any water to this one, it's just fine neat.
Some of the stronger single malts -- for example Laphroaig (Islay) -- are greatly influenced by a couple drops of water. Some guys said "thimble"... I'd agree that's a good measurement.
Also, for blends, I like them on the rocks. Fill the glass with ice and pour JW Black liberally. That's my "every day" setup (no, I don't have it every day).
Chris,Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisL
I find water tends to do more for blends than single malts because it seems to allow the different flavors be more individually distinguishable. So it's easier to discover what flavors you like/dislike and can then choose better in the future.
Your entry level scotches are mostly blends. If you begin to like them then you can move up to single malts and more complex blends. So for starters, I would suggest Dewars' or cutty sark as good jumping off points.
Cheers and best of luck!
Try and get your hands on a bottle of Dalwhinnie....I believe it to be the door that will open the world of SMS to youQuote:
Originally Posted by ChrisL
To me it has a salty taste, maybe from the salt air of the location where its made or maybe from the barrels - sometimes they are soaked in seawater or have been reclaimed after being washed up from ships (mostly sherry casks)Quote:
Originally Posted by Oglethorpe
At the risk of contradicting myself, sometimes a tiny drop of water holds the fire back a bit, enough for the full flavour to come outQuote:
Originally Posted by Oglethorpe
If you ever saw what goes into Bells you'd be horrified and cry sacrilege.Quote:
Originally Posted by Oglethorpe
I've been to the Blair Athol distillery (where I was introduced to Caol Ila by the tour guide)
About 80% of their production goes into Bells and they show what other whiskys go into it as well.. (that's the point at which you cry). If you are ever lucky enough to go there, Edradour is only round the corner and is Scotland's smallest distillery - they produce the House of Lords blend which is only found there and at the House of Lords. A very pretty place to visit.
The highest distillery, they mature their casks outside and for longer due to the cold climate. When the weather gets too bad they pull barriers across the road as it becomes impassable. This is actually my favourite whisky even though I tend towards the stronger peaty Islay ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sly712
You might want to try The Macallan 12yr., it is a nice single malt that is not too expensive as far as single malts go. The Macallan 10 yr. is also a nice one to try. The cost for the 12yr. in my area is around $40.00. There is a good site that has a lot of information called the Scotch Hunter Scotch Hunter : A Guide To Single Malt Scotch : The Best Single Malt Scotch Site : Single Malt Scotch Tasting Notes : Scotch Nosing and Tasting Tips : Our Favorite Single Malt Scotch? They have a tasting section that I find helpful when I want to try something new.Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisL
As far as adding a splash of water, it depends on the scotch. I generally prefer it neat or with one or two small ice cubes. If the single malt is too smokey for my taste, I will add a splash of water or a little more ice.
At home, I drink single malt with a bit of water. I think it smooths the flavor, how ever, I do not like warm scotch.
Blended, I drink with coke or on the rocks. I quite like a long drink if I'm out or watching the telly some times and coke works out for that. Otherwise I drink like a fish.
I have to say though, I do like my whiskey on the rocks. I know people say it dulls the flovor, but I would argue it just highlights different flavors. I would like some of those proper granite rocks, that would be cool.
Seems to me like a highly personal and spirit-dependent thing. I tend to like scotch just the way it comes from the bottle (although having said that I should point out that I steer clear of the more peet-laden single malts). Highland though... straight all the way for me. For Bourbon on the other hand I find that a single ice cube really brings out the flavor in a way that is hard to describe.
I guess it requires experimentation. Tough work you know but it simply has to be done!
For a cask strength whiskey, I add a splash of water. Otherwise its neat for me.