Diluting Cask Strength Whisky

Markscotchcrazed

Should there be any difference in flavour between diluting whisky bottles at cask strength to 40% in your glass versus the same whisky bottled at 40%? I'm assuming the water used for distillate is roughly the same. 

Slàinte_Mhath

Markscotchcrazed said:

Should there be any difference in flavour between diluting whisky bottles at cask strength to 40% in your glass versus the same whisky bottled at 40%? I'm assuming the water used for distillate is roughly the same. 

Absolutely! Alcohol carries the flavor and by adding water to your cask strength whisky, you release these flavor molecules to your nose and palate. The whisky opens up which enhances the experience of smell and taste. That's why some whisky drinkers (myself included) always add some water to their malt. Some drams only require a few drops and are rather fragile, some can take some teaspoons - depends on ABV and substance of the whisky.

[Deleted User]

@Markscotchcrazed

When you buy a whisky at a normal bottling strength (40-46% abv), the water and the whisky have had quite a while to integrate. This not going to be exactly the same as adding water to dilute a cask strength whisky down to normal bottling strength immediately before drinking it.

Now, that being said, I can't tell much (if any) difference between most cask strength whiskies that I have diluted myself and the same whiskies at standard bottling strength. One exception that comes to mind is Redbreast: I prefer the standard 12 year old at 40% (with a little water added) to the cask strength 12 year old (with a lot of water added), even though the cask strength is non-chill filtered. The cask strength seems a bit drowned by the time I add enough water to get it to my preferred drinking strength, while the standard bottling is right in my sweet spot at that same strength. 

Markscotchcrazed

I always take a plastic straw(classy) to add a few drops of water to add to my Whisky. I find the lighter fruity whiskies change dramatically with this, seemingly out of proportion to the amount of water added. If I understand correctly, there is a short term release of flavours (opening up)when water is newly added but it doesn't stay released or opened up when you bottle it at 40% and drink it months later.

Do you know of any good articles/sites explaining how whiskies open up with water and what is going on physically when this happens? I had previously thought that you add water to reduce the numbing affect of alcohol on your taste buds which enables you to taste more, but it seems there is more to it than that. 

Slàinte_Mhath

Markscotchcrazed said:

Do you know of any good articles/sites explaining how whiskies open up with water and what is going on physically when this happens?

Check out ralfy's vlog on whisky and water:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjp8ETweF-8