Should you add Water to your Whisky?

Whether you are adding water or ice to your whisky the question remains, should you?  Depending on who you talk to you will find so many different reasons, opinions and sometimes even dirty looks and glares.  My opinion has changed over the years on how I drink my whisky from my first rye and coke to a 2 ounce-ish pour over a large cube of ice.  This development has been a mix of mimicry, bravado or wanting to fit in with the crowd I was talking to.  But with a few google searches, you will find arguments from people who have decided to tackle this same topic.  I will try to provide a little insight into both sides. 

At its base level when we mix a cocktail it is an exercise in chemistry.  By adding water, you are diluting the whisky in the glass and this is why you should never add water with a heavy hand.  Always start with a few drops or a premeasured amount of water.  The trouble with the adding of water is that there is no exact amount that works for every whisky and every person drinking it.  It comes down to personal tastes.  The science behind the reason master blenders add water is an interesting read.  By adding water many people believe that the taste and aroma of the whisky will improve.  This is because alcohol molecules and the molecules that determine the whisky’s taste stick together.  The taste molecules in the glass have a large impact on the smell and taste of the whisky.  When adding water, these molecules tend to move to the surface of the liquid. This allows the flavour molecules to hit our olfactory receptors and taste buds faster and easier before the alcohol concentration affects our sensory organs.  The hazard here is that if you add too much water, the taste molecules spread so far apart that your sensory organs lose track of them.   

My personal notes.  While tasting whisky for my Whisky Report Cards I start by adding two drops of water re-nosing and tasting the whisky, then I will add half an ounce of water and re-nose and taste the whisky.  Alternatively, while enjoying a glass of whisky I like adding a large ice cube to a two-ounce pour so that the whisky is chilled.  This way when I take a mouthful of the whisky, it is slightly cold on my mouth. As I roll it around my mouth and the whisky warms, different tastes develop on my tongue. 

A couple of tips:

-          When adding water, you want to make sure the water is not adding flavours of its own.  Distilled or spring water works best.

-          Room temperature water is also best to help maintain the temperature of the whisky so that hot or cold does not affect the taste molecules.

-          When adding ice, the cold temperature will chill and restrict the movement of molecules.

-          Ice should be made from distilled or spring water for the reason listed above. 

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/08/17/543902701/chemists-say-you-should-add-a-little-water-to-your-whisky-here-s-why#:~:text=The%20researchers%20think%20the%20position,taste%20of%20the%20Scotch%20whisky.&text=Adding%20a%20few%20drops%20of%20water%20would%20therefore%20continue%20to,surface%2C%20potentially%20improving%20the%20taste.

https://www.quora.com/Why-add-a-drop-of-water-to-whiskey-Ive-heard-that-it-%E2%80%9Copens-it-up-%E2%80%9D-What-does-this-mean

https://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2008/05/explain-about-adding-water-or-ice.html

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/whats-the-deal-with-ice-and-whiskey/