This leaves you to sip and enjoy a cold drink at your own pace. This results in a significantly slower melt than traditional ice cubes, allowing you to chill your whiskey without completely weakening its flavor. The reason we use these spheres is twofold: not only does it dress up a fresh poured glass of whiskey, but there’s a science behind its shape.Īn ice sphere exposes less surface area for the same amount of volume than a cube of ice – by almost 25%. At Bin110, my bar in North Carolina, we offer crystal-clear ice spheres as an option to whiskey drinkers. Using the “right ice” can make a difference.Īll ice is not created equally. A little ice melt can help bring out those flavors and aromas more definitively for you to appreciate. Much like extreme cold can blunt flavor, many would argue that having too high a proof can mute some of the nuances of a whiskey. When you consider that the majority of bourbons are in the 90-proof range, suffice to say this is a bold drink that can definitely handle a little ice and/or water. But consider this: one of Elijah Craig’s Barrel Proof releases this year checks in at a whopping 135 proof. As a matter of personal taste, I am a huge fan of this whiskey iteration.
Un-cut, barrel proof offerings have become much more prevalent in the marketplace. High-proof or barrel-proof whiskeys may benefit from a little dilution. There are many factors that might make ice your preference. The Case for IceĪs with most things, the answer is not usually black or white, but more of a convoluted gray. This thought process is true in the whiskey world as well.
I have this conversation often with wine drinkers who ask for their white wine to be served “ice-cold.” My rule of thumb with wine is that the cheaper the wine, the more you might want to blunt the flavor.Ĭonversely, the higher end that bottle of Chardonnay might be, serving it up at a warmer temperature will allow you to taste more of the complexities within the juice. Cold blunts flavor!Īgain… another fair statement. This is a fair statement, especially if you fall into the category of a “slow sipper.” The longer you plan to have your whiskey resting on ice, the less flavor you can expect to enjoy as the ratio of water vs. There are many reasons for this opinion, but a couple of scientific arguments would be: 1. Most whiskey purists will suggest that neat is the only way to go. You’ve chosen your whiskey, but now you’re faced with the second decision to add ice or enjoy it “neat.” There are many schools of thought on this question, but we’re going to examine what to factor in to help you make the choice that best suits your palate. Written by Andy Upchurch, Owner, Bin 110.
0 kommentar(er)
