THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER
During the process of making whisky, water is one of only three ingredients. A lot of water. During most steps, water has an essential role: when germinating the barley, water is sprinkled over the barley to trick it into thinking it is spring, what will start the barley to sprout. When the time is right - when the sprouts are about the length of the grain itself, the barley is kilned and ground into grist.
This grist is three or four times soaked in large amounts of water in order to capture the sugars. This sweet water (now called wort) is collected and put into large containers (washbacks) in order to ferment, with a little help of the third ingredient, yeast.
After fermentation is over, the wort turned into wash, contains a small amount of alcohol (about 8% ABV) and is ready to be distilled. First distillation takes place in the wash still, second distillation in the spirit still (sometimes a third still is placed in between the wash and spirit stills, called the intermediate still, but most distillers use only two stills). The vapours from the stills are captured and cooled into a liquid again, the cooling is done by running water alongside the pipes.
After distillation, most of the time the end result has an ABV that is too high to put in barrels for maturation (now called new make spirit). History has learned us that the ideal ABV to mature whisky lies around an ABV of 63,5%. This percentage is reached by diluting the new make spirit with water.
After maturation, when ready for bottling, the whisky has lost some of its alcohol to the Angels, but is still quite strong. Sometimes it is bottled straight from the cask, creating a whisky called cask strength, but most of the time the whisky is diluted yet another time, to the minimum amount of 40% ABV, again using water.
Water that is used in most processes of the whisky is of great importance. So important in fact, that a lot of distillers have protected the water spring by, for example buying the surrounding lands. For all processes this same spring water is used, except for the cooling of the stills they will normally use a different water source, often a stream or burn next to the distillery. Some distillers say the water source is not that important, and use whatever they can get their hands on.
You see that during the process of making whisky, water has a large role and is used for dilution already. So, why would you add water to your whisky yourself, in the privacy of your own home, from a completely different source?
The idea behind adding water is that the whisky reacts to the added water, and "opens it up", releasing the flavours and smells that are "trapped" in the fats and esters that are present whisky.
NEAT
This grist is three or four times soaked in large amounts of water in order to capture the sugars. This sweet water (now called wort) is collected and put into large containers (washbacks) in order to ferment, with a little help of the third ingredient, yeast.
After fermentation is over, the wort turned into wash, contains a small amount of alcohol (about 8% ABV) and is ready to be distilled. First distillation takes place in the wash still, second distillation in the spirit still (sometimes a third still is placed in between the wash and spirit stills, called the intermediate still, but most distillers use only two stills). The vapours from the stills are captured and cooled into a liquid again, the cooling is done by running water alongside the pipes.
After distillation, most of the time the end result has an ABV that is too high to put in barrels for maturation (now called new make spirit). History has learned us that the ideal ABV to mature whisky lies around an ABV of 63,5%. This percentage is reached by diluting the new make spirit with water.
After maturation, when ready for bottling, the whisky has lost some of its alcohol to the Angels, but is still quite strong. Sometimes it is bottled straight from the cask, creating a whisky called cask strength, but most of the time the whisky is diluted yet another time, to the minimum amount of 40% ABV, again using water.
Water that is used in most processes of the whisky is of great importance. So important in fact, that a lot of distillers have protected the water spring by, for example buying the surrounding lands. For all processes this same spring water is used, except for the cooling of the stills they will normally use a different water source, often a stream or burn next to the distillery. Some distillers say the water source is not that important, and use whatever they can get their hands on.
You see that during the process of making whisky, water has a large role and is used for dilution already. So, why would you add water to your whisky yourself, in the privacy of your own home, from a completely different source?
The idea behind adding water is that the whisky reacts to the added water, and "opens it up", releasing the flavours and smells that are "trapped" in the fats and esters that are present whisky.
NEAT
Straight from the bottle, no water added, not to mention ice. Why add water when the distillers offer the whisky like this? Why dilute a perfectly good product?
When I started to investigate whisky beyond the point of buying the prettiest bottle on the shelves, or fall back to the brands I knew from previous experience, I thought myself to be a drinker of the neat category. I opened a bottle, poured myself a glass no matter the ABV and drank the stuff. When starting my more serious exploration into whisky, I did mostly the same, but sniffed the glass first.
The problem I found myself having with this method of drinking the whiskies with a higher ABV, was that the first sniff disintegrated the hairs at the inside of my nostrils, the following sip burned the tip of my tongue, holding the sip in my mouth numbed my palate and while swallowing, the whisky grabbed my esophagus, held on to it and dragged it down until it reached my other intestines, in order to go ahead and do exactly the same with those.
While at first I found this strangely appealing at first, I later came to the conclusion that although I liked the sensation, I could not find any of the smells and tastes that professional whisky writers and the many other bloggers did find in their glasses. So I started wondering about what I was doing wrong.
DROPS OF WATER
When I started to investigate whisky beyond the point of buying the prettiest bottle on the shelves, or fall back to the brands I knew from previous experience, I thought myself to be a drinker of the neat category. I opened a bottle, poured myself a glass no matter the ABV and drank the stuff. When starting my more serious exploration into whisky, I did mostly the same, but sniffed the glass first.
The problem I found myself having with this method of drinking the whiskies with a higher ABV, was that the first sniff disintegrated the hairs at the inside of my nostrils, the following sip burned the tip of my tongue, holding the sip in my mouth numbed my palate and while swallowing, the whisky grabbed my esophagus, held on to it and dragged it down until it reached my other intestines, in order to go ahead and do exactly the same with those.
While at first I found this strangely appealing at first, I later came to the conclusion that although I liked the sensation, I could not find any of the smells and tastes that professional whisky writers and the many other bloggers did find in their glasses. So I started wondering about what I was doing wrong.
DROPS OF WATER
While reading a lot of books, blogs and wikis, watching many interesting YouTube videos and listening to podcasts concerning whisky, I slowly came to the understanding that the neat method was not really my cup of tea, and I started to experiment with water. I aquired myself a pipette, bought bottled water, and curiously added a drop of water.
I immediately found that it actually worked, albeit for a short period of time, so I added another drop, and later even more, until I reached the point that I started to add splashes of water at once.
The pipette seems to be a very popular tool in Scandinavia and Germany.
SPLASHES OF WATER
I immediately found that it actually worked, albeit for a short period of time, so I added another drop, and later even more, until I reached the point that I started to add splashes of water at once.
The pipette seems to be a very popular tool in Scandinavia and Germany.
SPLASHES OF WATER
For me, with a little more water than just a few drops, the whisky presented itself more, and I could even get some of the smells and tastes that others before me had already found. This method has been first presented to me by watching the YouTube series of Ralfy, who adds his water a teaspoon at a time. By using the teaspoon, you can measure your amount of water quite precise.
UP TO 50%
UP TO 50%
A method that would give a lot of whisky enthusiasts shivers down their spines: lowering the alcohol to about 30% abv. According to some professionals, at this percentage you will taste the whisky at its best, not being bothered by the strong smell and sensation of the alcohol.
Some people hold to the rule of thumb based on the age of whisky. Half whisky, half water when the whisky is young, up to about ten years. Two thirds whisky, one third water when around fifteen years old and with whiskies older than twenty years, they would add little water at a time, by trial and error. This method has some logic to it; older whiskies tend to be more fragile, so they would 'need' less water, and will literally drown when you add too much.
The drowning is not exclusive to the older whiskies. I had it happen once to the relatively young Ardbeg Alligator, when I had forgotten that I had already added water, making it taste like a vintage book store (in my defence towards the forgetting, it was my fifth, generously poured Ardbeg out of six different Ardbeg expressions that evening. Not the best result of a self initiated nosing and tasting, but what a great evening it was).
CHOICE OF WATER
Some people hold to the rule of thumb based on the age of whisky. Half whisky, half water when the whisky is young, up to about ten years. Two thirds whisky, one third water when around fifteen years old and with whiskies older than twenty years, they would add little water at a time, by trial and error. This method has some logic to it; older whiskies tend to be more fragile, so they would 'need' less water, and will literally drown when you add too much.
The drowning is not exclusive to the older whiskies. I had it happen once to the relatively young Ardbeg Alligator, when I had forgotten that I had already added water, making it taste like a vintage book store (in my defence towards the forgetting, it was my fifth, generously poured Ardbeg out of six different Ardbeg expressions that evening. Not the best result of a self initiated nosing and tasting, but what a great evening it was).
CHOICE OF WATER
A lot of people that put water into their whisky, like to add bottled water. There are people who import their bottles from Scotland, in order to match the water source of the whisky they are drinking as close as possible.
Although the hardness of the water is important, it is my believe that, as long as the water smells and tastes neutral, it does not really matter where the water comes from. In the Netherlands, where I live, we have great tap-water, without any strong smells or tastes of fluoride or chlorine, and this is of good enough quality to add to whisky.
During our travels in Scotland I noticed that in most bars the canisters of water offered contained normal tap water as well. For me it had a bit of a strong chlorine smell to it, so there I preferred to add water from my own (un chilled) bottle of water.
WHY ADD WATER?
Although the hardness of the water is important, it is my believe that, as long as the water smells and tastes neutral, it does not really matter where the water comes from. In the Netherlands, where I live, we have great tap-water, without any strong smells or tastes of fluoride or chlorine, and this is of good enough quality to add to whisky.
During our travels in Scotland I noticed that in most bars the canisters of water offered contained normal tap water as well. For me it had a bit of a strong chlorine smell to it, so there I preferred to add water from my own (un chilled) bottle of water.
WHY ADD WATER?
Besides that it would open up the whisky, I do not have a straight answer for it. Personally I like to 'tame' the heavier whiskies, but am also known for drinking my cask strength whiskies straight. Depending on mood, time of year, the company I am in, what circumstances I am enjoying the whisky, I tend to change the amount of water I add, if any at all.
There have been times I surprised a friend, where we both had a sample of the same whisky but, without them knowing, I had added a splash of water, where the conclusion was made that "mine" was the better of the two. At other times, the whisky with the drops of water turned into a bland, boring beverage after adding only one or two drops.
Most of the times I like to add a little splash of water expand the nose and taste of the whisky, but only after I have nosed and tasted it neat first. It still looks to be something that strongly depends on trial and error. For me, experimenting with water is one of the many joys of drinking whisky. Like Forrest Gump said: "...you never know what you're gonna get."
Although, come to think of it, that was about life reflected on chocolate, and chocolate with whisky is a different story altogether. For another time.
There have been times I surprised a friend, where we both had a sample of the same whisky but, without them knowing, I had added a splash of water, where the conclusion was made that "mine" was the better of the two. At other times, the whisky with the drops of water turned into a bland, boring beverage after adding only one or two drops.
Most of the times I like to add a little splash of water expand the nose and taste of the whisky, but only after I have nosed and tasted it neat first. It still looks to be something that strongly depends on trial and error. For me, experimenting with water is one of the many joys of drinking whisky. Like Forrest Gump said: "...you never know what you're gonna get."
Although, come to think of it, that was about life reflected on chocolate, and chocolate with whisky is a different story altogether. For another time.
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