Freezer

[Hanzo]

OK, please be gentle, I'm VERY new to whisky.

So, here's the short version. I like my whisky cold but I always hear that putting it on the rocks is a bad idea because you distort the taste when you water it down. Would it be acceptable to put the bottle in the freezer?

[Lord_Pfaffin]

I froze many a bottle of Southern Comfort and Gentleman Jack, they get syrupy and icy cold. It was really a good quaff for those University pot parties in the 70's.
The idea with good whisky is to coax the fine flavours and aromas from within and thats best done warm. I suppose if you wished to thicken a malt by cooling and drink it right out of the bottle more power to you.

[Aidan]

I'd say it has the same effect as adding ice, except that the ice dilutes the whisky as it melts. If you like it cold, add ice, I'd say.

[Paul A Jellis]

Try chilling the glass in the freezer, not the bottle.

But that would be too cold for me, I prefer my whisky just under room temperature.

Cheers

Paul

[BruceCrichton]

I have been recommended to try JW Gold Label chilled.

It was the Distillery Manager at Cardhu.

BTW, you would be well advised not to try Ardbeg, Springbank or any other unchillfiltered whisky chilled.

[Tom]

Since you ask this purely out of flavor interest: No it isn't.
Cold whisky will reduce the flavors drastically. Putting ice in it is even more dramatic for the flavor. But dont get this wrong, you asked this for the taste improvement and decrease regarding temperature. If you like your whisky cold, nobody will argue. but for the optimum flavors, store you bottle at room temperature and warm your glass with whisky in your hand to get the full flavor potential. There is a chance you will like your whisky more then when it is chilled as it will be deffinatly more full flavored.

As a side note, it came to my attention that many people that like ice in their dram prefer it this way because the whisky isn't as pungent and alcoholic this way, and not necesserely because they want cold whisky. If this is the case, by all means dilute your whisky with water, as much as you like! and it will still hold more taste with water in it then one ice cube, while there will be no more pungency. However, this was just a thought, you drink it how you like it best.

[Deactivated Member]

Isn't there a point, though, when whisky can be too warm? I remember one very hot day in London (c. 35 degrees) and I tried a whisky in a bar. I got very little other than a spirity nose - the rest was just destroyed completely by the heat.

[Tom]

Hi Nick, you are totally right I think. Havent heard this from anyone else but you, but I too had this experience while on vacation in France and opening a bottle of Glenfiddich. I had to cool my glass down "au bain marie". (take a large cup, fill it with cold water, put your glass of whisky in the cold water).
It tasted awfull when it was warm. But then again, it was very warm (over 34°C), and not at room temperature.

[Deactivated Member]

Hanzo, I have two bits of advice.

1) Drink it how you like it. If you like it on ice, don't let anyone tell you it's in any way "unacceptable". If you want to chill it but not dilute it, go ahead and put it in the freezer. It's your business. Most everyone here will tell you the same things about appreciating whisky, as the folks above have indeed done, and we all hope that you will eventually learn to appreciate whisky the way we think it's meant to be appreciated. If you are curious and want a bit of tutoring, you will not lack for advice from people who love whisky. But we all also recognize that rule number one is it's your whisky, enjoy it how you like it.

2) Develop a thick skin against snobby folks (like us!) telling you you're doing it wrong. We all want to see you get the most out of your dram, but nobody has the right to make you feel bad about what you like. Laugh and say "You're probably right, but this is how I like it." End of story.

...You bloody heathen!

[bernstein]

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!"

[Hanzo]

Thanks everybody. After doing an experiement last night, I think you guys were right, it has more to do with watering it down. I tried one glass neat, one on the rocks, one neat but in a cold glass and one with a bit of water but room temp. I did prefer the one on the rocks, but second was the one with water at room temp. While I think I'm developing a taste for whiskey, I haven't taken the training wheels completely off yet. For the time being, I think I'll just stick to a single ice cube and hopefully try to ween myself off of it. I did notice how much more flavorful it was neat, but as of yet, I can't quite handle it all with full enjoyment. Hopefully it is something that will come with time. I bought a set of Riedel scotch glasses yesterday which was one reason I was asking because it's hard to fit ice into them. But for those of you who've never used a Riedel glass...do yourself a favor and get some. They open the tastes up BIG time. And I'll say this, while I might not be getting all the flavors out of the whisky by drinking it on the rocks, whisky on the rocks still has a lot more of the flavor that drinking it neat in a regular glass. I'm just lucky that I happen to sell them and got them at a GREAT price!

[Pascal]

I hear you. I'm quite "young" as well in my whisky training. My beginnings of enjoying whisky neat coincide approximately with my first affordable single malt purchases. Dalwhinnie 15, Bruichladdich 10 and the likes.

Before that I would alway have a blend on the rocks, and I have to admit I still find nothing wrong with that. These days I find I simply get more enjoyment out of a dram lasting me 30 minutes and analyzing the flavors and aroma.

With the cheap blend on the rocks I'd usually get hosed real quick because I would drink it way too fast. Now I can have a few choice drams, feel perfectly fine, and enjoy my tasting session quite a bit more.

[Lord_Pfaffin]

It was Bob and Doug McKenzie that gave us hosers a bad name!

[Deactivated Member]

Pascal, great to hear from you! And it's nice to get folks from Montréal and Tronna together for a wee blether. I love both cities as only an outsider can! Pascal, if you'll pm me your email address, I'll let you know the next time I'm in town (likely in February or March) so we can get together for a dram at Hurley's or L'Île Noir.

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

hello Hanzo and welcome to the forum. What kind of whisky do you drink on the rocks?

Greetings
kallaskander

[Tom]

Good point Kallaskander, Welcome to the forum Hanzo!
And I am especially glad that you experimented! You can't say you like this or that if you never tried it. Its good to see you have an open mind for everything. And just so you know it, at really warm days I too have a glass of bourbon on the rocks. Though not often.

[Lawrence]

I've had a few chilled whiskies, JW Gold from the local brand manager, it was just for drinking not for appreciating IMHO.

The second was a Cardhu that was very chilled but it was an accident and it was corked so none of the Cardhu characteristics were really evident.

I sometimes add ice to a few single malts when it's very hot, it makes a nice drink. You have to be selective because not all malts can handle ice.

[Hanzo]

Hey there gentlemen,

Since you asked, I have several whiskys that I drink. Everything from Jim Beam black label to Jack Daniels single barrel and also a bottle of 12 year old Chivas Regal single barrel.

We're not exactly talking the best of the best, but I can't afford the best of the best.

[Mr Fjeld]

You're doing fine Hanzo! Keep up the good work

Skål!
Christian

[kallaskander]

Hi there,

never mind Hanzo, only a lucky few among us can. And best is relative and subjective at best.

Greetings
kallaskander

[Aidan]

whisky with ice is nice every now and again. especially when it's hot out. For me, smokey whiskies don't work well when cooled or with ice.

[Admiral]

smokey whiskies don't work well when cooled or with ice.

Agreed. The chilled temperature tames the peat & smoke, which completely defeats the purpose of reaching for an Islay malt anyway!

Cheers,
Admiral

[Crispy Critter]

I've also found that at least some bourbons don't go well with ice. Knob Creek became almost cloyingly sweet with ice, but worked a lot better for me neat.

[patrick dicaprio]

OK, please be gentle, I'm VERY new to whisky.

So, here's the short version. I like my whisky cold but I always hear that putting it on the rocks is a bad idea because you distort the taste when you water it down. Would it be acceptable to put the bottle in the freezer?

the very first bottle i ever bought, about 10 years ago (cant believe it was that long ago ) was a bottle of knockando. a few friends and I who lived together decided we were going to step up to the bigtime and start drinking whisky. we kept the bottle in the freezer. you can start by doing this as it will make it easier to drink, but just recognize the fact that you are dulling teh flavor. so to do this as a starting point is fine just recognize that your goal is to move beyond this in the short term.

Pat

[patrick dicaprio]

Hi there,

never mind Hanzo, only a lucky few among us can. And best is relative and subjective at best.

Greetings
kallaskander

reminds me of when they do wine tastings blind. often times a cheaper wine does well. then they do the exact same tastings but tell people the price and no surprise the results are very different. i have seen this myself with cigars as well, so whisky shouldnt be any different. price doesnt equal quality necessarily!!

Pat

[Gordo]

Hanzo,
Good to have another rookie on board. To date I have only opened nine single malts and like you I started out using ice. This is how I was first introduced to to joys of SMS. But as I'm prone to having a dram last at least half an hour I found the ice did indeed water things down to much. I now take even more time at room temp. and smaller sips. That being said I still love the BURN.

Gordo

[ikendal]

It is interesting to note that Jhonnie walker Gold label should be be drunk frozen and out of a frozen glass
"Gold Label™ is perfect when served frozen, in a frozen glass and perhaps even served with a bitter chocolate dessert for a truly indulgent experience. " taken from web site
http://www.johnniewalker.com/en-us/OurLabels/GoldLabel/GoldLabelTheWhiskyPage2.htm

[martin grant]

Time to resurrect an old topic, and also time for a little confession.

I keep on my whisky shelf a bottle of Glenmorangie 10 year old. I also keep a bottle in the freezer. Now whilst I usually enjoy the room temperature whisky, the frozen bottle always makes a pleasant change. The bottle from the freezer has without doubt been dumbed down in terms of flavour, but the texture has also completely changed. To taste now it's much more syrup like in mouth feel. On occasion this to me is the perfect drink to finish dinner with.

What does everyone else think? Should I carry on with this type of behaviour or should I tender my resignation to Matt with immediate effect?

[les taylor]

Time to resurrect an old topic, and also time for a little confession.

I keep on my whisky shelf a bottle of Glenmorangie 10 year old. I also keep a bottle in the freezer. Now whilst I usually enjoy the room temperature whisky, the frozen bottle always makes a pleasant change. The bottle from the freezer has without doubt been dumbed down in terms of flavour, but the texture has also completely changed. To taste now it's much more syrup like in mouth feel. On occasion this to me is the perfect drink to finish dinner with.

What does everyone else think? Should I carry on with this type of behaviour or should I tender my resignation to Matt with immediate effect?

Martin close the door on your way out.

[JUERG GLUTZ-KURMANN]

Hi,

an other option could be stone cubes. Available at the Kilchoman distillery and elsewhere I think. You put them in the freeze and when cold you put them into your glass, like ice cubes (they don't melt of course....) One thing is to be careful with your front teeth when drinking up (if you are old enough you probably can remove them for this matter). The stones don't cool the whisky down like ice cubes do.
I have tried the stones to cool down mineral water but the water had not its neutral taste anymore but had quite a strange taste from the stones. But with whisky it's o.k.

Slàinte mhath!
Juerg

[adogranonthepitch]

I love putting a couple of glasses and a johnie walker black label in the feezer for 2 or 3 days.. looks great when you npoor the the sryrupy whisky in the chilled glass on a hot day

[les taylor]

This is all sounding like slush puppies for adults. We are talking about a premium product here single malt. Not Vodka. We'll be discussing what's your favourite alchopop next. Ladies and Gentlemen please.

[Paul A Jellis]

I could never put whisky in the freezer - it's full of Jagermeister!

[martin grant]

This is all sounding like slush puppies for adults. We are talking about a premium product here single malt. Not Vodka. We'll be discussing what's your favourite alchopop next. Ladies and Gentlemen please.

I completely agree Les. We are all here to talk about single malt, undoubtably a premium product.
However unless the market constantly looks for ways to introduce new drinkers to the category it will become a stagnant market.
Serving spirits from the freezer is something that works well with other drinks, specifically vodka. However it is also something that works well with cognac. I have on the past been offered a 100 year old cognac served from the freezer. Several hotels and restaurants here in the UK even include such an offering on their digestif lists. If this works for cognac, why not whisky? If it introduces new drinkers to the category, who then go on to become big fans surely it's a great idea?

[les taylor]

This is all sounding like slush puppies for adults. We are talking about a premium product here single malt. Not Vodka. We'll be discussing what's your favourite alchopop next. Ladies and Gentlemen please.

I completely agree Les. We are all here to talk about single malt, undoubtably a premium product.
However unless the market constantly looks for ways to introduce new drinkers to the category it will become a stagnant market.
Serving spirits from the freezer is something that works well with other drinks, specifically vodka. However it is also something that works well with cognac. I have on the past been offered a 100 year old cognac served from the freezer. Several hotels and restaurants here in the UK even include such an offering on their digestif lists. If this works for cognac, why not whisky? If it introduces new drinkers to the category, who then go on to become big fans surely it's a great idea?

Right where's my Port Ellen 1979. Lets move the sausages around and whack it in the freezer. That will improve it.