Adding A Little Water Or Not.....

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ptahm22

New Member
When enjoying bourbon, does a splash of water really open up and improve flavors? I am a bit of skeptic on this issue. A hospitality host at a major distiller said adding a few drops of water to bourbon will open a bunch of additional flavors and nuances. The bourbon we were sampling was a 86-90 proof older bourbon. We tried it before and after with just a few drops of water, I didn't see much of a difference.

My argument against adding water to a low to mid proof whiskey is simple: the distiller has already added a substantial amount of water proofing down to bottling proof, what difference is a few drops of my own water going to make? Lower proof whiskey already has plenty of water added and is fine to drink neat.

Different story on higher proof or cask strength whiskey. These have little or no water added at the distiller, so they do benefit from a bit of water or a small ice cube.

Just my opinion.
 
I have had Bourbon both ways neat and with water. But I'm in agreement with you @ptahm22 I don't see where a little water or an ice cube made any difference in the taste. I do believe though to get the true flavor is to drink it neat, not watering it down with other liquids such as water or soda.:cool:
 
I am even thinking some water or pieces ice cube would make the Bourbon taste better. Somehow that would act as a diluting agent on the beer. I am used to adding water to my drink sometimes and it goes some way to make them cool. I can seeing a better balanced chemistry in such combination.
 
I can understand why people do it, but I just rather take some smaller sips and let it be. Although, I guess it is kind of the same as putting some ice in there, which I do a lot.
 
I think adding some ice will always be a better option rather than adding a few drops of water.

Adding this minimal amount of water will bring only psychological effect and nothing else.
 
Whenever I have drank bourbon I have always had it over ice, and never just on it's own or with water. While I'm sure that drinking bourbon neat is more common than I would think, I'd imagine that to be able to drink bourbon neat you'd have to be a serious drinker and one that's been doing it for some time.

Bourbon is a strong alcohol anyway with a very strong taste, so as well as the ice weakening the drink, it also adds a softness to it that makes it more palatable to more people.
 
It depends on what bourbon you're having, but most of the time I don't feel the need to add water since the brands I drink are distilled enough. It's a neat trick though.
 
I like it on the rocks so it probably melts a bit while you drink it and adds a bit of smoothness to the bourbon. I would think the melting of ice,going through this process,kind of brings out the taste and aromas as well and makes it a more mellow drink.
 
Sometimes it is needed and sometimes now, but usually I am good with a little ice which of course is the same thing. I never really plan on it I can say that.
 
I prefer my bourbon without any drop of water... I like it pure. Rarely - depending on the temperature - I put some ice but in general, I only drink my bourbon pure.

Some friends of mine drink bourbon with a little water and they even try to convince me that the taste is better, but I didn't buy the idea. :p
 
Shine_Spirit said:
I prefer my bourbon without any drop of water... I like it pure. Rarely - depending on the temperature - I put some ice but in general, I only drink my bourbon pure.

Some friends of mine drink bourbon with a little water and they even try to convince me that the taste is better, but I didn't buy the idea. :p
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Some like Bourbon in its pure and unaltered taste. Adding a small amount of anything alters the taste. But for me any drink becomes very strong if I font add either ice or water.
 
I add ice cubes to Bourbon, but I don't often drink it diluted. I might add some soda to the beverage, but I don't dilute it with water no. To me it just detracts from the taste.
 
DR KOKIL AGARWAL said:
Some like Bourbon in its pure and unaltered taste. Adding a small amount of anything alters the taste. But for me any drink becomes very strong if I font add either ice or water.
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In your case, a slight mixture with some other suitable liquid (the problem may be to find the correct liquid to match with the main drink, for example: bourbon) is always the solution. But for me, most of my drinks I really like (and I prefer, actually) to drink them pure.

I don't like it when the taste gets diluted (for example - again -, bourbon).
 
I have always added ice to my bourbon and I never noticed any difference as well, in fact I agree that it blands the taste than enhance it, so I don't get where they're coming from when they said that, lol.
 
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xyrene said:
I have always added ice to my bourbon and I never noticed any difference as well, in fact I agree that it blands the taste than enhance it, so I don't get where they're coming from when they said that, lol.
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Adding ice is different, because it changes the temperature. Chilling it can make it smoother, but it also dampens the flavor and aroma.

It's kind of like how some beers or wines should only be slightly chilled or enjoyed at room temperature. Lowering the temp too much changes the overall taste.

A few drops of water does basically the opposite. It is sometimes added to higher proof bourbon to make it just a bit more smooth so the harshness doesn't keep you from noticing certain flavors.
 
thisnthat said:
Adding ice is different, because it changes the temperature. Chilling it can make it smoother, but it also dampens the flavor and aroma.

It's kind of like how some beers or wines should only be slightly chilled or enjoyed at room temperature. Lowering the temp too much changes the overall taste.

A few drops of water does basically the opposite. It is sometimes added to higher proof bourbon to make it just a bit more smooth so the harshness doesn't keep you from noticing certain flavors.
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Interesting. I will take note of that and try it as well when I drink bourbon again. Come to think of it, the "experts" do say that it will expose those hidden flavors and nuances, so I guess what they're saying is true and ice creates a different change.
 
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