Cask Strength plus water versus 40%

[Onefortheditch]

Cask strength whisky watered down to 40% abv tastes better than 40% abv whisky. Why?

[ClubSmed]

Maybe it's because?
You can water it down to the strength you want?
The water you use may make a difference?
It just seems that way because you try get to try it neat first?
The fact that cask strength + water is cheaper than 40% OB makes it taste better?
Cheaper and free stuff always tastes better to me

I am sure there are other reasons, shall wait to read about them

[Ganga]

Could it possibly have something to do with chill-filtering?

[Caledonia]

Could it possibly have something to do with chill-filtering?

Havent we all heard the rumours that this ''doesnt '' affect the flavour

[Ganga]

Could it possibly have something to do with chill-filtering?

Havent we all heard the rumours that this ''doesnt '' affect the flavour

Only from those that practice chill-filtering. Recall that others make a big deal out of non-chill-filtered. How would one know unless you had a chill-filtered and a non-chill-filtered sample from a single cask?

[Onefortheditch]

I don't think its chill filtering and I don't think its price. But I don't know what it is.

[Caledonia]

Could it possibly have something to do with chill-filtering?

Havent we all heard the rumours that this ''doesnt '' affect the flavour

Only from those that practice chill-filtering. Recall that others make a big deal out of non-chill-filtered. How would one know unless you had a chill-filtered and a non-chill-filtered sample from a single cask?

Sorry i was being sarcastic, Its the theory, chemically that makes it illogical to use chill-filtration. Removing the unwanted oils... hmmm?

And regarding the question.

If you have a 40% watered down whisky compared to exactly the same whisky that was cs and watered down the only difference would be the water.... used

Often or not you cant get the exact same whisky in both cases, therefore the whisky its-self can very in batches and would make a difference.

[Reggaeblues]

Eee by gum this Abundah tastes good at 59.6%!

[borgom]

"Cask Strength plus water versus 40%" are both ways to waste great whisky!

[ClubSmed]

I certainly think that you get more flexibility from a cask strength whisk(e)y

[Caledonia]

I certainly think that you get more flexibility from a cask strength whisk(e)y

Yeah bunnie 1997 heavily peated sig cs and the normal UCF heavily peated - good example of two whiskies you could try this experiment with.

I tasted both blind so didnt have the luxury of adding specific water amounts ... but could work (they are different casks but from the same distillation batch)

[Deactivated Member]

Something happens when you add water to whisky. When you do it yourself, it's still going on as you drink it.

[ClubSmed]

I suppose it is probably nearly impossible to know you have added enough water to reduce a cask strength to 40% so you only reduce it to your personal taste. Therefor the result is better than the one forced on you by the own bottled 40%

Does that make sense?

[Caledonia]

I suppose it is probably nearly impossible to know you have added enough water to reduce a cask strength to 40% so you only reduce it to your personal taste. Therefor the result is better than the one forced on you by the own bottled 40%

Does that make sense?

Exactly right, without owning your own hydrometer that is (unless ure sad not why i own one though )

[irishwhiskeychaser]

If you have a 40% watered down whisky compared to exactly the same whisky that was cs and watered down the only difference would be the water.... used

Often or not you cant get the exact same whisky in both cases, therefore the whisky its-self can very in batches and would make a difference.

Any whiskey bottled at 40% has to be chill filtered but cask strength whiskey is probably never chill filtered whether it says so on the label or not.

I would imagine that there would be a difference and it has to be the chill filtering. As once you chill filter you are removing some of the congeners and they are the fats that are part of the flavour profile therefore you are removing some of the flavour profile.

Connemara is another example, they have a 40% version and a cask strength version. I have always found the CS one nicer

[Caledonia]

Ahh chillfiltering discussion :

Why is un-chillfiltered bottles always bottled at 46%?

why not 40,43%?

[ClubSmed]

Ahh chillfiltering discussion :

Why is un-chillfiltered bottles always bottled at 46%?

why not 40,43%?

I believe the answer is that 46% (could be 43%) and above whisky naturally does not go cloudy 9or is alt least less susceptible) when it gets cold (ice or cold water added) so there is no need to Chill filter

Could be wrong but I think that is what I have been told on tours

[Caledonia]

Ahh chillfiltering discussion :

Why is un-chillfiltered bottles always bottled at 46%?

why not 40,43%?

I believe the answer is that 46% (could be 43%) and above whisky naturally does not go cloudy 9or is alt least less susceptible) when it gets cold (ice or cold water added) so there is no need to Chill filter

Could be wrong but I think that is what I have been told on tours

Thats theoretically right, a whisky that is unchillfiltered is 46% due to there not being any removal of congeners. Basically if a whisky is chillfiltered it can be reduced to 43, 40%?

But why can a unchillfitlered whisky not be lower than 46%, dont think I have seen one, but i may not have been paying attention?

[Deactivated Member]

I saw one, a Bladnoch, at the distillery. UCF, 40%. It was as cloudy as a weissbier.

[Caledonia]

Logically i dont see a reason for a non-filtered whisky being beneath beneath 46%?

I dont know why thats the norm these days (other than its becoming the norm for whisky these days)

example of a 40% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

example of a 43% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

[Caledonia]

Logically i dont see a reason for a non-filtered whisky being beneath beneath 46%?

I dont know why thats the norm these days (other than its becoming the norm for whisky these days)

example of a 40% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

example of a 43% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

Lol, basically i am going to assume there is no reason for whiskies being bottled at 46% for unchillfiltering other than taste?

[ClubSmed]

Logically i dont see a reason for a non-filtered whisky being beneath beneath 46%?

I dont know why thats the norm these days (other than its becoming the norm for whisky these days)

example of a 40% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

example of a 43% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

Both of these examples are blended malts which may make a difference?
I think that the main reason is looks because as a general rule an unchillfiltered malt will look cloudy under 43% so is less likely to sell to the uneducated (as far as whisky is concerned) masses.

[Caledonia]

Logically i dont see a reason for a non-filtered whisky being beneath beneath 46%?

I dont know why thats the norm these days (other than its becoming the norm for whisky these days)

example of a 40% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

example of a 43% unchill :

http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/produc ... me=unchill

Both of these examples are blended malts which may make a difference?
I think that the main reason is looks because as a general rule an unchillfiltered malt will look cloudy under 43% so is less likely to sell to the uneducated (as far as whisky is concerned) masses.

There the only 2 i found quickly, I find it irrelevant about the whisky being cloudy beneath 43% chillfiltration takes away this aspect, originally. Therefore if you buy an ''unchillfiltered whisky'' you should be aware of the effects ie cloudiness? At specifically lower termperatures...rather than alcoholic abv?.

I dont know , it would be interesteding to find out.

[Caledonia]

Quite a nice explanation here :

http://www.whiskyforeveryone.com/whisky ... ation.html

Of which nothing mentioned about ABV of a filtered or non-filtered whisky?

[scotchdrinker]

Thanks for that Caledonia. I knew what chill filtration was before but these explained it much better than my understanding was prior.

I prefer my scotch not to be chill filtered.

[Onefortheditch]

Something happens when you add water to whisky. When you do it yourself, it's still going on as you drink it.

This looks like a possible answer. One way to find out is to put cask strength whisky in a bottle with enough water to reduce it to 40% and leave it for a few days.

I'll give it a go!