Balvenie Founder's Reserve 10 year...

[Iolaus]

I did not "mellow" it with water, and the intensity of the taste (and fire of the alcohol content) left me gasping. After re-reading some of your posts, I decided to go with the water purified water approach, although I did not see any details on how muh water to how much whiskey. So I decided to start with about a 40% water/60% whiskey combo. Much improved!

Too much water. A teaspoon per 2 or 3 oz. is enough to let the aromas loose; any more and you begin to dilute the flavor too much.

As for the "fire of the alcohol"; the burn can be eliminated by breathing in through the nose, out through the mouth, slowly, until most of the fumes have disipated. It only take a couple of breaths. A little practice will teach you how to avoid the burn while savoring the taste. ;)