Have you ever simply acquired a bottle of scotch for Father’s Day and usually are not certain what to do with it? You’re not alone. Possibly it’s a single malt in a sensible field. Possibly it’s a mix one other member of the family swears by. Both means, it’s now yours, and also you’re questioning the best way to drink it “correctly”.
Excellent news: there’s nobody proper means. Whether or not you sip it neat, add water, drop in some ice, or combine it right into a cocktail, consultants agree one of the simplest ways to drink scotch is nonetheless you get pleasure from it most. This five-step information will assist you to get began. No guidelines, no snobbery. Simply strong recommendation that will help you get pleasure from what’s within the glass.
A Change In Attitudes
Scotch has lengthy been tied to custom. Neat solely. No mixers. However that’s altering. Individuals are embracing flexibility. As Annabel Thomas, founding father of Nc’nean Distillery, notes in a visitor article for us, “shopper attitudes in the direction of whisky are altering.” Gone are the outdated guidelines that single malt shouldn’t be combined.
I, too, am an advocate for consuming whisky nonetheless you want. As I famous in a earlier article, “I’m not right here to let you know what to do. However the level is that this: there’s no “appropriate” option to get pleasure from whisky. The shift in whisky tradition displays a broader understanding that accessibility and delight are what matter most.”
So, with that in thoughts, let’s check out a 5-step plan that you could motion that can assist you to to discover your whisky each which means, and in the end resolve the way you want to drink it.
Step 1: Begin With a Small Pour and Strive It Neat
One of the simplest ways to get to know your scotch is to style it straight. Pour a small quantity, round an oz or two, into any glass you’ve got. A tulip-shaped whisky glass is right, however a easy tumbler works too.
Give it a swirl, take a sniff, then a small sip. Let it sit in your tongue earlier than you swallow. Don’t rush. You’re not trying to find tasting notes or uncommon flavors but. You’re simply seeing what the whisky is like by itself.
That is how most consultants start. It provides you a place to begin earlier than deciding whether or not so as to add water, ice, or anything. Consider it as the primary handshake. Clear, sincere, and unaltered.
Step 2: Add a Few Drops of Water To Your Scotch and See What Modifications
When you’ve tried it neat, add a couple of drops of water. Only a splash. This isn’t about watering it down. It’s about opening the whisky up.
Many whiskies, particularly ones with increased ABVs, can conceal a few of their character behind the alcohol. A bit water can soften the burn and convey new aromas and flavors to the floor.
Dana Crombie of Suntory World Spirits, and a fellow OurWhisky Basis mentee, supplied me her ideas on consuming whisky with water: “I’ve shortly discovered how implausible water will be to open a whisky up into a complete different dram. Just some drops and it’s reworked.”
Begin small, style as you go, and cease when it feels proper. For some whiskies, a drop or two is all it takes. For others, a teaspoon may do the trick.
The purpose is to experiment. A small change could make an enormous distinction.
Step 3: Strive It With Ice If You Desire It Chilly
Not everybody likes their whisky at room temperature. In the event you desire a colder drink, drop in an ice dice. It’s fully nice to drink scotch on the rocks.
Ice chills the whisky and slowly dilutes it, which might make robust flavors really feel smoother and extra approachable. You may even discover new notes rising because the drink opens up over time.
Some purists keep away from ice as a result of chilly temperatures can mute aroma and taste. However style is private. In the event you get pleasure from it chilled, that’s cause sufficient.
Use one giant dice in case you can. It melts slower than smaller ones and received’t water issues down too shortly. Sip, calm down, and see how the whisky adjustments because the ice melts.
Step 4: Combine Your Scotch Right into a Cocktail If That’s Extra Your Fashion
Sure, you possibly can combine scotch right into a cocktail. You don’t have to drink it neat to get pleasure from it correctly.
A easy scotch and soda, additionally known as a Highball, is gentle, refreshing, and an incredible place to begin. If you need one thing with extra taste, strive a whisky bitter or a Rob Roy. These traditional cocktails spotlight scotch’s character with out overpowering it.
Dana Crombie’s journey into whisky started with cocktails. “We lived in Leith, immediately throughout from a bar that had simply opened, Nauticus,” she says. “We used to order a drink known as the Coastal Brew. Peated single malt, white cacao, Cross Brew, and bitters on an ice block. I nonetheless make my very own model at residence with Laphroaig 10.”
Even single malts can work in cocktails in case you just like the end result. There isn’t a rule that claims it’s a must to preserve them separate. If mixing helps you get pleasure from your scotch, then combine away.
Step 5: Discover What Works for You
There isn’t a single appropriate option to drink scotch. Neat, with water, over ice, or in a cocktail. The perfect methodology is the one you get pleasure from most.
Dana Crombie has hosted loads of tastings, every with a variety of opinions. “Finally, it was inconclusive. Nobody may agree,” she says. “However there may be one factor for sure. It isn’t the best way that you just drink whisky, it’s the moments remembered once you’re sipping it.”
Strive completely different approaches. Your style may change over time. In the future, you may love a smoky dram with a splash of water. One other day, a calming cocktail may hit the spot. The purpose is to discover and revel in.
Whisky doesn’t have to be sophisticated. In the event you like what’s in your glass, you’re doing it proper.
