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You can often hear some whiskey lovers say, "I have always been purely drinking whiskey, never mixing water!" It seems that the act of mixing water has greatly ruined the precious whiskey. A few years ago, pure whiskey was really at the top of the contempt chain. For those outside the circle who don’t know the truth, it’s like “I only drink black coffee ” and “I only eat 5-cent-cooked steak”.
But in recent years, even whiskey, which has its own "noble temperament", has entered the homes of ordinary people. The majority of enthusiasts have even played with it. Not to mention mixing water, mixing orange juice, mixing cola, mixing lemon tea or even Yakka . As long as you think it is delicious, what can't be mixed?
And then again, whiskey mixing water is not a waste of time. After all, except for the barrel of strong whiskey , the distillery has already redeemed water to you before bottling other ordinary whiskeys.
1, Why do you need to mix water?
For whiskey, the ratio of alcohol to water has a great impact on the final taste and state. The alcohol content is a little higher and the style and taste will be different.
Generally, whiskey is over 60% before being prepared for bottling. With such strength, alcohol will numb the tongue and taste buds, which may cause damage to the taste. Therefore, before bottling, the distillery will dilute the whiskey with water to about 40% alcohol. There are also many whiskeys bottled at the strength of the original barrel. The alcohol content is above 60%. Consumers can choose the ratio of water added or pure drinks by themselves.
Even if the water added during the brewing process is different from the water added by consumers after bottling and selling, whiskey mixing water can also have a great effect. The view that most people in the industry agree with is that plus water can release the aroma molecules of whiskey, making the wine more fragrant .
This is because the solution of ethanol and water is not completely uniform, and some aromatic compounds may be trapped in ethanol clusters and cannot reach the liquid surface. When the water dilutes the whiskey, the ethanol spreads more evenly, and more aromatic substances reach the surface, making it easier to smell.
In fact, many whiskey experts also use the method of "smalling water" when evaluating whiskey. How much water should I add
2, ?
The above mentioned "sampling water" operation can stimulate the aroma of whiskey, but for the taste, one or two drops can not change much.
The former popular highball method in Japan also dilutes the whiskey to about 20% abv. in a ratio of almost 1:1. Everyone has different tastes and preferences, so of course there is no so-called optimal ratio. If you are not very able to accept high alcohol whiskey, you can add water to try it from light to thick, and you will always find the most suitable ratio for you.
How much water should be added? You can calculate it according to this formula:
Target alcohol = whiskey volume/(whiskey volume + water volume) * whiskey wine precision
3, mineral water? Distilled water? Or tap water?
Minite water, mineral water, distilled water or tap water. If you drink these water alone, you can already feel the difference in taste and taste. Adding it to whiskey will also have different effects on the flavor of the wine.So, which water should you choose to mix whiskey with water?
If you just want to reduce the alcohol content of the whiskey and make it taste softer and less irritating, then it is best to choose distilled water or pure water . This water has less mineral content (or no at all) and will not have a direct impact on the flavor of the whiskey.
mainly affects the mineral content and types of water. Softer water will make the wine softer, while mineral water with high mineral content is somewhat like a blind box. minerals will change the flavor of whiskey , but depending on the type of whiskey and the different mineral water used, there are many possibilities for what kind of changes can be made.
Some whiskey enthusiasts have selected different brands of mineral water to test it. They found that some brands of mineral water will make the aroma of whiskey stronger, while others will produce some unpleasant odors. This kind of change is difficult to summarize and cannot be predicted. It can only be said that "practice produces true knowledge."
However, it should be noted that should not use too high-quality natural mineral water . This water often comes from a specific natural spring with high mineral content. Although it is very good to drink it alone and has a clear and sweet taste, if it is mixed into whiskey, the mineral taste may be noisy. When combined with whiskey, the taste may be both detrimental, which wastes both water and whiskey.
