For all you whiskey drinkers

[Graham]

Nick is correct, especially with single malts, however, I tend to mostly drink them straight, nothing added.

It's personal taste really, no rules.

On an overnight ferry recently the barman said they had rules NOT to serve whisky on it's own, only mixed with coke.
I told him that was vulgar but he wouldn't budge.

thankfully I happened to have a flask in my sporran

[Colin]

I have spoken to a few bartenders (locally and in the UK) and they have all advised that single malt should have a touch of water added to bring out the flavour and aroma. I have found this to be quite true (as per my own personal tastes). However I still have friends that prefer it straight or with ice. To each their own.

I don't know if the same would apply to a blend or an Irish whisky though.

The only whisky I would ever add any kind of "soda" to is Canadian rye whiskey. I practically grew up making "Manitoba Martinis" (rye and 7-up) for my grandmother. I still have one if I am at the curling rink watching a game.

[Macman]

Haha, Colin! That used to be my drink when I was just legal - CC and Seven!

[Iolaus]

Haha, Colin! That used to be my drink when I was just legal - CC and Seven!

Ok, I'll pile on... 7&7... before I was legal. ;)

As for the water question... The way it was explained to me was that having a little bit of fresh water tossed into the whisky allows a fresh set aromas to start avaporating from the surface of the drink, and therefore, since more than half our sense of taste is actually controlled by smell receptors, the character of the whisky becomes fuller and more complex.

That all may be BS, but that's what I was told.

[flyv65]

Typically, water is added to the scotch to break the esters and make the scotch more aromatic: also, buy adding water you lower the acoholic content by volume, which reduces the liklihood that you'll numb your sense of smell and thereby reduce your enjoyment of the malt. Never add ice; it numbs the tongue to the flavor, and you wind up just drinking for the buzz. The amount of water added is subject to the drinker's preference, but can vary from as little as a half teaspoon to an almost 50/50 water/scotch ratio. Michael Jackson (the beer/scotch world reknowned author, not the *superstar*) has a wonderful writeup in his scotch guide, and there is also a nice piece in the online mag, the Malt Advocate.

Bryan...not that I drink the stuff myself, of course... :smile:

[A Dhuglas]

The only whisky I would ever add any kind of "soda" to is Canadian rye whiskey. I practically grew up making "Manitoba Martinis" (rye and 7-up) for my grandmother. I still have one if I am at the curling rink watching a game.

"Manitoba Martinis!" I LOVE it!! Never heard that one before. My preferred mixer of choice for rye (Crown Royal if it's on hand) is good ol' ginger ale. Wonder if there's a nickname for that one...

[Colin]

"Manitoba Martinis!" I LOVE it!! Never heard that one before. My preferred mixer of choice for rye (Crown Royal if it's on hand) is good ol' ginger ale. Wonder if there's a nickname for that one...

Ah yes, Crown and ginger used to be a fav. Now all my ginger ale gets mixed with Bombay Sapphire Gin. Very fresehing.

[Riverkilt]

And, any carbonated beverage (Seven Up, Ginger Ale, Coca Cola et.al) added to alcohol will speed the absorbtion of alcohol into your blood stream to give the drinker a faster buzz.

Of course, our livers metabolize alcohol first into acetaldehyde, then into vinegar, then into water so eventually even the finest whisky ends up as water.

Ron

[Graham]

Ron, why did you go and have to tell me that?

what a waste, I suppose I may as well just drink water and save the money.:sad:

[Sherry]

Yeah, Ron, you should have written acetic acid, or even ethanoic acid, instead of vinegar! ;-)