Adding more than 20% water to a whiskey can remove its characteristic taste. In this respect informs University of Washington.
The authors examined how the addition of water affected volatile compounds in 25 whiskeys, including bourbon, rye whiskey, Irish whiskey, and single malt and blended Scotch whiskey. Some people like whiskey with ice not only because it cools the drink, but also because of the water’s ability to bring out the flavor.
Elizabeth Tomasino and her colleagues conducted a blind test with expert tasters. When it comes to pure whiskey, it turns out that all participants can easily distinguish their varieties from each other. However, once the water ratio exceeded 20%, the differences were erased – only the difference between American bourbons and other whiskey types remained.
Whiskey consists of hydrophilic and hydrophobic components. In this regard, at different water concentrations, different compounds associated with taste and aroma can go “up”. For example, many Scotch whiskeys started out with a smoky, “peatish” flavor, but became more fruity as they were diluted. Similarly, American bourbons were originally associated with vanilla and oak flavors, but as more water was added, they took on more of the flavors of the corn and grains used to make them.
In this context, the authors consider it reasonable to drink whiskey with a large piece of ice to minimize the ingress of water into it.