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A different Whiskey question


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I don't drink, but I've perused the topics on Whiskey vs. Bourbon and I've been wondering:

 

Many people put ice in their glass when they drink Whiskey and/or Bourbon, but why haven't I ever heard of anyone keeping their Whiskey or Bourbon in a refrigerator?  I also understand some wines are to be chilled and some are not.  I don't understand that either.

 

Angus

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9 minutes ago, Perro Del Diablo said:

I use To keep whiskey in freezer takes some of the bite out of it. Ice will water it down as well. Most wines benefit in taste when they are chilled. Brandy can be warmed to bring out the flavors.

Most red wines are best at around 65-70°. Colder mutes the flavor. Restaurants tend to serve reds a bit too warm unless they really know what they’re doing. White wines should be chilled more generally. It depends on the grape varietal and the meal your having.

 

Whiskey is definitely not a thing to be chilled. Cool is okay. Just barely. But opinions are like virus face masks. Everybody has one. ;)

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The taste of whiskey is changed by the evaporation of the volatile organic compounds in it.

If you look at a whiskey snifter, you will notice that is bulbous on the bottom and then the glass narrows to the mouth. This is to concentrate the VOCs as the evaporate and inhaled during the sipping of the liquid. Much like as kids we would pinch our noses before we ate the canned spinach on our school lunch tray, eliminating smell dulls the taste buds.

Why is this important? By chilling a liquid, the vocs (alcohols) evaporate slower, thus changing the flavor profile of the drink.

I am a neat whiskey drinker. This does a couple of things for me, one, it allows me to smell and taste the whiskey at the same time, which gives me a deeper flavor profile and allows my palate to detect the separate nuances in the beverage and, being that the whiskey is a little more overpowering, it allows me to enjoy a glass for an hour or more.

Some people don't care for the boldness of the whiskey, so they will add a few ice cubes to chill it, which slows the evaporation down and the cold from the ice numbs the taste buds as well, making the whiskey seem "smoother". 

There isn't a right or wrong way to enjoy it, just personal choice. 

13 minutes ago, Perro Del Diablo said:

I use To keep whiskey in freezer takes some of the bite out of it. Ice will water it down as well. Most wines benefit in taste when they are chilled. Brandy can be warmed to bring out the flavors.

I would agree with you on the brandy but not on chilling wine. Being married to a wine connsieur, she makes sure that our reds are room temp, opened long enough to allow them to breath, decanted and then served in the right glasses. That is what benefits wines. Whites on the other hand are meant to be served chilled, as they are sweeter, and their flavor profiles do not benefit from being served at room temp. 

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1 hour ago, Black Angus McPherson said:

 but why haven't I ever heard of anyone keeping their Whiskey or Bourbon in a refrigerator?

You and me both.

 

In one of Griffin's Badge of Honor series we get introduced to a drink called an Irish martini. Pour Irish whiskey into a cocktail shaker full of ice. Shake, then strain into a martini glass.

 

I thought that kinda sorta made sense for a bar. Then later in the book they talk about a Scotch martini. Same thing but Scotch instead of Irish. But this one is not being made at a bar. This one is being made at a private residence. And I thought, "why not just put the Scotch bottle in the refrigerator?"

 

It's the same with soda pop. Why put ice in a glass and then pour room temperature soda pop over the ice? Why not keep the soda pop in the refrigerator? That's where I keep mine.

 

That's also where I keep my Bailey's. Why put it over ice and dilute it? I like it cold, but I have room for it in the fridge.

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I sometimes keep my alcohol in the refrigerator, I don't add ice if I drink it straight or with a mix.

 

The only thing worse than running out of alcohol, is having alcohol that is mixed with water.

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I only keep my Vodka chilled.

 

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I generally pour my whiskey over ice. I like it that way... 

 

A good friend of mine is a Crown Royal drinker when his gout will let him. He keeps his Crown in the freezer.

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One of the reasons ice is added to whiskey is to dilute it.  Same for mixed drinks.  The qty and shape of the ice can be critical to a drink.  
 

For barrel proof whiskey the USA has a barrel entry proof limit of 125 proof.  This change happened in 1962. It was 110 proof prior to this.  Since high proof spirits can cause damage to cells in your mouth and throat, adding ice is one way to reduce proof.   Adding water also changes the flavor as perceived by the drinker.  Generally you can taste more warm and at a lower proof.  Cold hides flavor and higher proof you tend to get less flavor and more alcohol. 
 

scotch can have entry proof around 140 proof.  The entry proof is one thing a distiller uses to control how the barrel influences the flavor of the spirit.  I found higher entry proof pulls more barrel flavor.  Needed for scotch since it is aged in used barrels. 
 

another thing that influences bottling proof is a solubility of fatty acids in alcohol.  Around 45% abv the solubility changes and the fatty acids can precipitate out. This can lead to haze or loching.   In order to look good in a bottle most distillers just bottle at about 45% abv.   Adding water or ice after it’s out of the bottle means any cloudiness isn’t easily viewed by the consumer.   

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1 hour ago, Chili Pepper Kid, SASS #60463 said:

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Skaxi 3D Grenade Silicone Mold (Set of 2), Large Ice Cube for Whiskey, Silicone Molds for Fat Bombs, Ideal for Baking

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Still Hand Bill got it right. Ice is added to higher proofs to expand the perception of flavor.

 

Whiskey is made up of a bunch of many different chemicals. Ethanol is the main component. But Aldehydes contribute to the 'bite' and over time in the barrel react with acids and tannins to become Esters, which give the different flavor profiles in a spirit. On the back end of the distillation are the oils which contribute to the 'slick' mouthfeel, richness and lasting finish.

 

The higher the proof, the more your mouth numbs itself and the less of these compounds you'll taste. Once it dilutes, your tastebuds open up and start to pick apart the flavors -good and bad. Every batch has a 'sweetspot' where the product tastes the best - that's why products are released at specific abvs. Its very intentional. Cask strength is a fun product, because the distillery is letting you find that sweet spot. The proper way to enjoy cask strength is to pour 2oz of spirit into a snifter, and add 1 cubic inch of DI ice. Take a sip before any of the ice melts. Periodically swirl the glass to homogenize the spirit with the water, tasting as you go, until the ice melts. If you started with a ~60% spirit, once the ice melts you'll be near ~45%abv.

 

Theres more to it than that of course but thats the idea. Temperature plays a factor as well, but its mainly for the dilution factor.

 

 

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You people are overthinking this, and it’s pissing me off!!

I’m gonna go get a drink!!

:angry:

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54 minutes ago, Cat Brules said:

You people are overthinking this, and it’s pissing me off!!

I’m gonna go get a drink!!

:angry:

I wish I could. Might be able to make it to the likker store tomorrow.:unsure:

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I rec’d a set of these this past Christmas. Fun. They bring the temp down but not too much, and without watering it down. 
 

You want it colder? Add more ammo!

 

https://frolk.com/products/stainless-steel-bullet-shaped-whiskey-stones-set-of-6-with-tongs-and-freezer-pouch?variant=19048307916897

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On 5/10/2020 at 6:49 PM, Cat Brules said:

You people are overthinking this, and it’s pissing me off!!

I’m gonna go get a drink!!

:angry:

 

Cat, I'm a professional chemist - I'm paid to overthink! :lol:

 

That said, no harm in enjoying somethin the way you want to - hot, cold, mixed with bitters and a sugar cube - have at it. I'm gonna grab a drink myself.

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On 5/10/2020 at 5:49 PM, Cat Brules said:

You people are overthinking this, and it’s pissing me off!!

I’m gonna go get a drink!!

:angry:


Making liquor was my profession for 4 years.  Tend to learn a lot about it.  I am also fascinated how alcohol became so important in our culture.   Without it things would have been very different.  

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On 5/10/2020 at 10:24 PM, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I rec’d a set of these this past Christmas. Fun. They bring the temp down but not too much, and without watering it down. 
 

You want it colder? Add more ammo!

 

https://frolk.com/products/stainless-steel-bullet-shaped-whiskey-stones-set-of-6-with-tongs-and-freezer-pouch?variant=19048307916897

I got some highly recommended whiskey stones. They didn’t  seem to do anything but rattle around and irritate me. 

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