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Dilution of Whisky -- the Molecular Perspective (nature.com)
From a new published paper in Scientific Report by Bjorn C. G. Karlsson and Ran Friedman: Despite the growing knowledge of the nature of water-alcohol mixtures on a molecular level, much less is known on the interaction of water, alcohol and small solutes. In particular, the nature of the interaction between the solvent and taste-carrying molecules, such as guaiacol, is not known. To address this gap, we used MD simulations to study the distribution of guaiacol in water-alcohol mixtures of different concentrations. Our simulations revealed that guaiacol is present at the air-liquid interface at ethanol concentrations that correspond to the alcohol content of bottled or diluted whiskies. Because the drink is consumed at the interface first, our findings help to understand why adding water to whisky helps to enhance its taste. A molecular understanding of the nature of taste compounds in water-alcohol mixtures allows for optimizing the taste of alcoholic spirits. [...] Overall, there is a fine balance between diluting the whisky to taste and diluting the whisky to waste.
Some of my relatives are 'whiskey snobs' and would make fun of me for diluting it (just slightly) with water for better taste. Now I can tell them I have science to back me up!
I am hoping, though, we can all come together and agree that:
The dilution of whiskey is morally wrong.
#DeleteChrome
"There must be a way to use some of this grant money on whisky..."
Boss: How did like that bottle of whiskey I gave you for Christmas?
Employee: It was just right.
Boss: Just right? Is that all?
Employee: Yep, if it had been any worse, I couldn't have drunk it and if it had been any better, you wouldn't have given it to me.
The authors of the article don't understand that "whisky" (from Scotland) is not the same as "whiskey" (from anywhere else.)
The discussion that the water opens the whisky up and makes the guaiacol more aromatic does not apply to whiskey that does not have a lot of this chemical in it, that is to say NOT SCOTCH.
Adding water to Irish Whiskey, or good ole American Bourbon Whiskey, is not going to have the same effect. Adding a couple teaspoons of cool water to your delicious smoky single malt from Islay will make a noticeable difference and open op the "nose" of the whisky.
True "whisky snobs" know the difference.
there are 3 kinds of people:
* those who can count
* those who can't
"guaiacol"?
GUACAMOLE ALCOHOL?! Maybe science has gone too far...
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
"Overall, there is a fine balance between diluting the whisky to taste and diluting the whisky to waste."
I bet it was high-fives all around the room when someone came up with that one. At the very least, it makes a great heading for the conference poster/first PowerPoint slide.
When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
What costs more? The article or the whisky?
I'm very interested in this work. I have as a rule tried to stay away from ice and even water as I didn't want to dilute the product for its own sake. But with science indicating that the flavors of the whiskey are unlocked, my favorite pastime gets a new technique!
Is this why farts smell worse in the shower?
As lophophore correctly points out this only applies to Scottish Whisky, but I'd go further by adding that it only applies to cask strength Whisky not your off-the-shelf bottle strength (~40%) which has already been watered to taste.
I got my education in Whisky in the early 90's living in Edinburgh where there was a private club in Leith called the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. 4 times a years the owners would tour the distilleries sampling casks and purchasing the ones they liked best which they then bottled and sold in the club rooms directly from the cask (hence cask strength). The distilleries allowed them to do this on the condition they numbered the bottles protecting the anonymity of each distillery which has it's own unique (blended) flavour.
They'd organised guided tastings which I went to a number of. You'd get 3 Whisky's and be told to taste a tiny amount un-watered and then slowly add water to taste until you felt the flavours had come out. The results are dramatic and the taste of that Whisky is unlike anything you've ever tried or known about Whisky.
They've since been bought out by a large company and are now a global franchise. If you can find one near you then I recommend trying them out.
If you can't find them near by the I'd recommend by favourite Whisky Lagavulin.
It comes as a standard 16 year old which is regular strength and also as a 12 year old cask strength. I always go for the cask strength one.
Whisky's don't improve much after 12 years.
Final tip. Try to use distilled water to dilute. As clean and neutral as you can get.
He's dead, Jim*
*Jim (Beam)
yes yes adding a drop of (distilled? at least clean) water "opens up" the aromatics in a whisky
that's why there's those little brass taps on the counter
but what are the implications of this for the oft-ridiculed dilution of tinctures in naturopathy?
So I was watching boardwalk empire and saw that basically they took grain alcohol (you may know it as everclear) and mixed ingrediants like... ...
vanilla and water for rum.
water and a little sugar for vodka.
liquid smoke, amber coloring for whiskey.
So I did some experimenting (having had a couple dozen whiskeys including the expensive stuff).
It wasn't whiskey- but if you hadn't had whiskey for a few years, it was sorta in the neighborhood. I'm wondering if filtering the water thru some peat moss and then boiling it and filtering it thru a coffee filter would be more whiskey like.
Bonus tip- most top shelf vodka has up to 2% sugar added. You can't taste it but it smooths it out.
I've also done the brita thing and the activated charcoal thing for bottom shelf spirits. They don't produce top shelf products but they do improve them- and in mixed drinks (many created to hid the flavor of bad booze), they are okay.
Personally, The Balvenie is the one I like best for the price followed by The Singleton. The various Glen 18's are all pretty nice but $$$ (Glenfiddich) and more for sipping for taste than drinking.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
See title for what you get when you add water
just when you think audiophiles are the most insufferable cunts on the face of the planet...
Not really. From my experience, Slashdotters aren't letting go of that title any time soon.