Should You Add Water or Ice To Whiskey? We Put the Age-Old Question to the Test

Should you add water or ice to whiskey? Or should you always drink it neat?

Perhaps there has never been a more polarizing whiskey-related question. Some drinkers add a bit of water to their tipple of bourbon or glass of scotch to “open it up,” but others would consider such an act pure sacrilege — and don’t even get us started on ice. Yikes. The temperature whiskey should be consumed at is another contentious subject.

In the spirit of debate, Bottle Raiders personality Dani Malka took it upon herself to find an answer. Malka experimented by tasting a glencairn of cask-strength scotch whisky — Ardnamurchan AD/02.22, to be precise — neat, with a drop of water and on the rocks.

This whisky hosts a hefty ABV of 58.7% and is a blend of peated and unpeated whisky. With a bold and powerful profile, it was the perfect whisky for this boozy experiment.

Here are Malka’s findings:

If You Want to ‘Feel the Burn’ — Drink Your Whiskey Neat

If you enjoy higher-ABV whiskies, you may want to consider drinking your whiskey neat.

“There is no hiding from that alcohol burn,” Malka said after taking a sip of the Highland single malt.

Drinking a whiskey neat also gives you a no-holds-barred look at the body and viscosity in the glass, so if you’re a “texture person” or enjoy a whiskey with a long and lingering finish, you may want to consider drinking your dram as is.

Those new to higher-proof whiskies might have a harder time deciphering the notes in a high-octane pour like this Ardnamurchan, but Malka pulled out floral, higher-toned aromas like citrus fruit and salt over the heavy proof.

She also cited intense aromas of smoke, salt and citrus. Though the florals and vanilla aromas were hidden by smoke and heat, she quite enjoyed the pour. Whiskey enthusiasts who like strong smells of smoke and brine, and enjoy that alcohol “burn,” might want to consider drinking their glass of scotch neat for an unadulterated look at what’s inside the glass.

If You Favor Subtlety, Consider Adding Water

For whiskey fans who aren’t so keen on blistering, proofy heat, adding a drop of water to a dram is a perfectly acceptable option.

Water mellows out the high proof so whiskey drinkers can detect more subtle aromas in the spirit. Adding water to whiskey is analogous to decanting a big bottle of red wine — it enables you to taste flavors you might not experience straight out the gate.

In the case of the Ardnamurchan, Malka detected “more flavor notes” aside from smoke and salt, such as aromas of honey and flowers. Though the water did dial down the lingering intensity of the finish in this whisky, it enabled Malka to sense another side to the smoky spirit that was previously masked by its hefty proof and harsher edges.

If you want to get the best of both worlds out of your whiskey-drinking experience, consider tasting a high-proof whiskey neat first then adding a drop of water to open it up on the second taste. We wouldn’t recommend adding more than one or two drops, however. You certainly don’t want to water it down too much.

If You Like the Taste of Whiskey, You May Want to Avoid Adding Ice

If you like tasting all the complicated flavors of a whiskey, you may want to avoid drinking it on the rocks. According to Malka’s experiment, adding a rock to one’s whiskey significantly dulls the tasting experience.

“For me, absolutely not,” Malka said after tasting the glencairn of Ardnamurchan with a rock.

She claimed the coldness in the ice numbed her taste receptors and slowed down the chemical reactions taking place in the glass, making the whiskey lose its magic and zapping it of its finish completely.

At the end of the day, the best way to enjoy whiskey is how you like to drink it, and there’s only one way to find out — by experimenting.

If you want to learn more about the art of tasting, you can take your whisk(e)y tasting journey further by reading “How to Drink Whiskey Like a Professional Taster.”

Are you still curious about Malka’s experiment? Check out the video below:

Join the Whiskey Raiders Bottle of the Month Club, where you will receive hard-to-find bottles curated by Whiskey Raiders staff with a 90+ rating on whiskeyraiders.com plus live virtual tastings. Sign up here!