FOR something that takes its name from the Irish for 'water of life', whiskey has had a complicated relationship with H20.
Some whiskey snobs won't even countenance taking a dram with anything in it, not even ice.
Heathens like myself who prefer their whiskey 'on the rocks' are frowned upon.
In truth, there's little point in paying a lot of money for a pricey drop and then drowning it with too much water or, worse still, a soft drink mixer.
Having said that, whiskey cocktails, such as an Old-Fashioned or a Whiskey Sour, are fantastic.
Yet back to the best way to appreciate quality whiskey (and even Scotch or bourbon) and scientists have decreed the right ratio: no more than 20 per cent of water to whiskey.
That chimes with the thoughts of whiskey experts such as Bushmills Master Blender Alex Thomas and Mark Reynier, CEO and founder of Waterford Whisky. Indeed Bushmills takes pride in the purity and importance of its water source, St Columb's Rill.
Both advocate the addition of a little water to 'open up' the whiskey. Reynier is aware of the hard-liners' view, commenting:
"There is often a certain fear, within whiskey circles, of adding water to whiskey, as though diluting somehow breaks a kind of unwritten purity law.
"That can be the case if too much is added. But adding a few drops – usually no more than three – can make the unique flavours of a whiskey all the more rewarding."
The science suggests that you don't have to be quite as cautious as Reynier.
The study led by Tom Collins – I kid you not – from Washington State University teamed up with researchers to chemically analyse how the volatile compounds in a set of 25 whiskies responded to the addition of water.
The test samples including Irish whiskeys, both single malt and blended Scotches, bourbons, and ryes.
A specialist 'sensory panel' of experts also tried out six whiskies, three Scotches and three bourbons.
In both cases the drinkers found that adding a little water could change how the whiskies smelled, but after 20 per cent of water in the mix some began to have the same aroma. Since smell and taste are often closely linked, this likely affected the spirit's flavour as well.
"If you want to enjoy a specific whisky, this suggests that you don't want to dilute it by more than about 20%," said Collins, a WSU assistant professor and senior author on the study in the journal Foods.
"By the time you get to 60/40 whisky to water, the whiskies are not differentiated by the panellists; they begin to smell the same, and that's not really what you're looking for."
The research in conjunction with Elizabeth Tomasino of Oregon State University found that at 100% whisky (undiluted), the panellists could easily tell all the whiskies apart from each other.
At a 80/20 mix of whisk(e)y to water, testers could still differentiate whiskies within each group, but after more water was added, that changed.
"This study helps to understand why those large, square ice cubes have become so popular because you can actually enjoy the whisky before it gets diluted to the point that it's not the same whisky," concluded Collins.
The old men at the bar with their little jug of water were right all along.
@whiskennyarcher
k.archer@irishnews.com
