Why you should never drink whisky on the rocks

Scotland is a land associated with the finest malts, popularly referred to as single malt or scotch across the world. Laws of the Country dictate that whisky has to be made from grains and matured for a minimum of 3 years in wooden barrels before it can be bottled. Substantial changes take place in the liquor during the maturation process. The wood helps in slow oxidation of the undesirable impurities in the liquor and turn them into flavors while at the same time imparting its own flavors into the liquor. The more the maturity, more complex the flavor.

The country has as many as six whisky regions, namely Speyside, Islay, Highlands, Lowlands, Campbeltown and Islands, out of which Speyside is considered the most extensive whisky producing region in that country. However, there is certain protocol which is needed to be followed when ordering your drink in Scotland – first, always refer to it as malt or whisky and never scotch, and secondly, do not order malt on the rocks unless you want to be a subject of ridicule.Those believed to be whisky devotees simply scoff at the thought of chilling and diluting their drink with ice.

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When a drink, especially single malt, is served on the rocks, the cooling properties of ice depress the dominant alcohol flavours and aromas in the drink. The ice actually masks the most intrinsic flavours that contribute to the exclusivity in the taste of scotch. This is the reason why avid whisky lovers and enthusiasts either drink their malt neat or just add a drop of water to it in order to open up the flavors. In case ice is added to the glass post water, the opening up caused by the water becomes moot as low temperature erases the flavours that had been opened up.Many experts also believe that when malt is taken with ice, it numbs the tongue, thereby preventing taste buds to relish the drink.

It is however okay to add some ice if the whisky in the glass is blended or the weather outside is scorching. Also, if you are just getting into malts and whisky, adding ice to the drink could be beneficial as it makes the drink more accessible for the uninitiated by depressing the dominant flavours or aroma.However, a few very important factors need to be taken into consideration if heading towards ‘on the rocks’ way.

The foremost thing to ensure is that the ice is absolutely clean and has no odour. Also, make sure that there are large blocks/cubes of ice instead of crushed or smaller cubes, as the large blocks melt relatively slower and cool the drink without much dilution, effectively getting the drink chilled without turning the whisky into ‘one part whisky mixed with five parts water’.

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To sum up, we can say that if you want to focus on the beverage and relish its original taste and flavor, adding ice to the glass is certainly not advisable. But when you are out there to have some fun and want to experiment, drinking on the rocks is absolutely fine as long as you enjoy your drink.

Contributed by: Prem Dewan, Managing Director of DeVANS Modern Breweries

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