Whisky & Water

Should whisky be drunk straight?

The obvious answer to this is ‘drink it as you like’, but if you are assessing the whisky’s character and seeking to fully appreciate its flavour beyond simple enjoyment, the addition of a little water helps since in most cases it enhances both aroma and taste.

There are some chemical compounds in whisky which are hydrophobic – they don’t like water – and become volatile when water is added, so you can smell them. Leading examples are guaiacol (smoky, peaty), vanillin (vanilla) and phenols (medicinal smoky). High strength whiskies are especially good at trapping such volatile molecules, while below 40% alcohol by volume (ABV) there is what chemists describe as a ‘catastrophic’ deterioration in aroma. This is one of the reasons why whisky cannot be offered for sale at under 40%ABV.

In regard to taste, drinking whisky at high strength numbs the receptors on your tongue and soft palate – taste buds - temporarily anaesthetising them and making it difficult to identify primary and secondary tastes. In short, adding a little water reduces the alcoholic ‘burn’.

But the simple question about adding water raises a bunch of other questions, which take us down rabbit holes! What temperature should the water be? How much should you add? Is tap water acceptable? Should it be hard or soft, still or aerated?

The temperature question is simply answered. ‘Room temperature’. But this begs another question: ‘what kind of a room?’ A writer in the 1960s suggested this should be ‘the temperature of a sitting room in a traditional Scottish manse’ i.e. around 14-16 degrees. The water should certainly not be chilled (nor should the whisky), and ice is a no-no, since closes down the aroma altogether. Although, of course, it is a great companion when simply drinking for pleasure.

How much water should you add? This depends upon the ABV of the sample you are considering and how many whiskies you are assessing at a sitting. If it is the first of the day it will probably benefit from greater dilution than if you have previously nosed and tasted three or four whiskies. Best to add a small amount to start with – many tasters use a pipette or dropper – then top up. As a general guide, add enough water to remove any sharp or alcoholic nose-feel. Whisky blenders reduce the strength of their samples to around 20%ABV, but I find this a bit too low.

Related to this is the time of day at which you are assessing: our senses of smell and taste are very much sharper in the morning and become duller as the day goes on. Also our senses soon tire as we become ‘habituated’ to the flavour profiles of the whiskies, so at the very least you should rest occasionally. When I am writing detailed tasting notes, I generally limit myself to two samples at a sitting, although this may be increased if the samples are especially pungent.

The water you use to dilute the whisky should be still, tasteless and odour free. Soft water is very much better for enhancing smell and taste than hard water. Tap water is acceptable if it meets these criteria, although in some places (London, for example) it tends to be flat and lifeless. If in doubt, go for soft bottled water, like Highland Spring.

It has long been claimed that the best reduction water is the water that has been used to make the whisky. A friend who was restoring a cottage at Glenlivet noticed that one of the builders working on the site disappeared off during his lunch-break and returned with two large plastic bottles of water. When asked, he explained that he could exchange a bottle of water in a pub in Elgin for half a bottle of whisky.

In 2020 veteran whisky maker, Graeme Lindsay was inspired by the idea of bottling spring waters, drawn by hand from private sources, to reflect the regional characteristics commonly found on Speyside (soft water with low minerality), Highland (hard, with high minerality) and Islay (with higher natural acidity), writing: “It stands to reason that the best water to use is the water from the same region as the whisky? Using water with similar properties will retain the whisky’s true and original character”. His brand, Uisge Source, is currently available in twenty-one countries.

Another brand specifically designed for adding to whisky is Larkfire, the brainchild of James McIntosh on the Isle of Lewis, where the exceptionally pure and soft water is drawn from Loch Mor o’Chrotaich, with a bedrock of insoluble Lewisian gneiss – at 3 billion years old, one of the oldest rocks on the planet.

I can vouch for how well these waters enhance the flavour of Scotch whisky. I was reminded of the popular additive to bourbon and rye whiskeys, especially in Kentucky and Tennessee, being ‘branch water’. The ‘branch’ is the headwater (a small stream) feeding into a larger river, implying its purity and freshness. The order is simply ‘bourbon and branch’.

My greatest epiphany in relation to whisky and water was my introduction to birchwater, the sap drawn off silver birch trees as it rises in March each year. The benefits of birchwater have been known for over 5,000 years in Northern Europe, where it was prized for its medicinal qualities – it is rich in minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and amino acids – as well as being a refreshing drink.

Birch are known as ‘pioneer species’ because they are among the first trees to appear on the landscape after fires or the retreat of glaciers, symbolising symbolizing life emerging from destruction. The Celtic peoples held the trees to be sacred and associated it with fertility, renewal and purification; its sap, by extension, carried special significance.

The only company in Scotland which taps birch trees today is Birkentree, based in Highland Perthshire where some of the oldest birch trees in the world – up to 300 years old - are to be found. Its product is named Highland Silver Sap, a pure and wholly natural water, with no additives or preservatives and a fresh, very faintly mossy taste. When added to whisky it does not alter the flavour but enhances both aroma and taste, greatly increases the body/mouthfeel and lengthens the finish. Highly recommended, both as a drink and as a mixer.