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Comment by habosa | Hacker News Reader

The joke is that for very nice liquor (whiskey especially) you should definitely not be adding ice, no matter how "deserving" the ice is. If you want the drink cold, chill the liquor itself or even the glass.

In hindsight, fuck it. There is no point in dissecting this, it is what it is. It's ice for people who want to spend money just to spend it.

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Adding a bit of water brings out flavors you don't experience neat. It's a personal preference.

http://youtu.be/ajqd62fE73E?t=6m23s

I've heard this, but I don't really buy it. The whisky is already diluted at bottling time, unless it's "cask strength".

Try it! The first whiskey I've tried it with was Glenfiddich 12, and I was amazed at how it sweetened/changed the flavor profile with just a tiny splash.

I suggest doing a blind test. I did several times, and definitely noticed a difference from adding a few drops of water in most high-end whiskys.

Indeed, it's quite likely that rather than bringing out flavour through some sort of chemical or physical change, the dilution just reduces the alcoholic bite, allowing you to enjoy the other flavours more.

But still, you can certainly taste the difference and decide which you like best.

I've definitely seen serious whiskey drinkers add a little water to break the oils at the surface and release flavors like you said. I was more commenting on putting a giant spherical ice cube in your whiskey. But again, to each his own and there is no "right" way to do anything.

I'm told that, ideally, you should use the same water that the whisky was made from in the first place. But that may be apocryphal.

Seconded! Always fire back at people who try to look down at having a drink on the rocks!

No true Scotsman drinks his whisky without a little water.

I saw what you did there.

It is true you should probably enjoy a nice whiskey at room temperature with no ice/water (especially if someone offers it to you), though sometimes it's nice to throw in a splash of water to cut down on the bite a little and let the flavor shine through.

I put a single cube of ice in my scotch / bourbon simply because the dram "opens up" over time and the taste evolves with each sip, so to speak.

On the other hand, Chilled glasses are a pet peeve of mine.

There's absolutely no right or wrong when it comes to sipping whiskey. Ice, dilution, neat, chilled; whatever YOU prefer is the right way to do it.

That said, on a snowboard trip one of our amateurs took some of my Macallan 12 year and mixed it with coke. That is definitely the WRONG way.

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