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New madness from the European Commission about controls on water, and even its taxation, threatens the long standing water rights of Scottish distilleries. This is being vigorously opposed by the Scotch Whisky Association. Appropriately, news of it arrived on our desk shortly after we had received Malcolm Greenwood's article about the importance of water in whisky production (see page 24).
On a related theme, we have recently received a clutch of enquiries about whether water should be added to whisky (or do real men drink it neat?), how much, what kind of water, etc. The answer is, of course, to enjoy your dram as you choose, with or without water - add Coke or milk, if you like it that way - but for a full appreciation of whisky, a little water is almost always essential.
First there is the quality of the water. It should be still, not sparkling, and cool, not chilled, because chilled water closes down the aromas in the spirit, the same way as ice does. It has long been maintained that the best water for diluting should be the same source of water used to make the whisky in the first place. This can be difficult to come by. Fifteen years ago I was told that some connoisseurs in the Speyside whisky capital of Elgin would swap a quarter bottle of Scotch for two litres of Glenlivet spring water, such was its reputation. Mind you I wasn’t told what the whisky was.
The next best thing to production water is Scottish water, either from the tap if you happen to be here or bottled if you’re not. Scottish water is generally soft, and thus closer to the style of the water with which most whisky is made. If you’re using tap water, sniff it to ensure it is not chlorinated. European Community regulations oblige even supplies for small communities in the remote Highlands to be ‘purified’, and at certain times of the year the purifiers go crazy with chlorine.
Next comes the thorny question of how much water to add. Almost all whiskies benefit from the addition of water. However, I once ruined a glass of very ancient blended whisky by adding a dash of water which just collapsed afterwards. Blenders and other professionals reduce down to around 20 per cent abv, but this is too much for old whiskies, and some sherried whiskies tend to break up when too much water is added. Wine and water don’t mix: have you ever tried adding water to cognac? It brings up the nose beautifully, but ruins the flavour. The key is to sniff the whisky straight, gauge from the nose how pungent and alcoholic it is and add water little by little until any nose prickle has been subdued and you can sniff it comfortably. You will notice how in almost all cases the bouquet opens up and how the spirit becomes more aromatic. If you add too much water, the nose will suddenly become depressed and nose-dive. But then you simply reach for the bottle and redress the balance.
