
Why whisky tastes better when diluted with water - nreece
https://lnu.se/en/meet-linnaeus-university/current/news/2017/why-whisky-tastes-better-when-diluted-with-water/
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peterwwillis
It's actually more complicated. There are thousands of potential compounds in
a bottle of whiskey that come from both the distillation and ageing process,
and even some leached from the bottle itself.

Whiskey doesn't necessarily taste better with water. It simply tastes
_different_ with water. It also tastes different cold. Since every whiskey
contains different amounts of different compounds, every whiskey requires a
different variable of water and/or temperature. Some are really good by
themselves.

Personally, I can't stand Johnny Walker neat, while I find Macallan ruined by
water. Decide how you like it for yourself.

~~~
anfractuosity
"even some leached from the bottle itself" \- Intriguing, I've not heard that
before said about glass. Do you have any more info on that? Or are you talking
about a potential to oxidise in the bottle.

Edit: Just found this [http://whiskyscience.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/bottle-
maturatio...](http://whiskyscience.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/bottle-maturation-
obe.html)

"First, the water condensed from the humid air causes mainly sodium to leach
out of the glass" \- Wow! I thought glass was kind of 'inert' with ethanol at
least.

~~~
peterwwillis
Alkalis in the surface of the inside of the bottle can be leached by the
alcohol, raising the pH enough that it actually attacks the glass. To avoid
this most glass bottles are dealkalized before filling, but if water from a
humid environment makes it into the bottle before filling it begins a process
which leaches various compounds from the glass. But this would take a long
time to occur in whiskey (vs Vodka/Gin, which are less acidic).

Oxidation is probably more affected by the sealing method than anything else.
Corks also change the flavor of whiskey due to things like absorbing certain
compounds depending on what they are made of or coated with.

~~~
anfractuosity
Cheers! I never knew that about dealkalization either regarding glass.

------
KGIII
Previous discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15038059](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15038059)

