daily headspa

That's what Sean Connery should have been saying as James Bond instead of "shaken not stirred." (see video clip below for Sean's rendition of "007 cocktail 101")

But maybe he wouldn't have. It's a big debate in his homeland and amongst all of us wanna be Scots elsewhere - whether or not to put a little water in your whisky. Proponents of water in the whisky, such as John from New Zealand behind the bar on a tiny little Scottish island...how do these small islanders find each other...say it opens up the flavours. Naysayers will tell you it masks them and call themselves purists. People who put ice in their whisky just don't count. As human beings.

Chemists have been studying this (on their breaks from creating the next biofuel that will save us all) and they conclude that

If you increase the water content, you reduce the solubility of some long-chain compounds - such as esters. You also increase the volatility of some compounds, especially hydrophobic ones. While phenols, for example - the smoky compounds - are particularly water-soluble, so you'd expect to reduce the volatility of those as you dilute. Nitrogen-containing compounds too - they're the roasted nut and cereal flavours - would be reduced.

I might have had too much whisky...what? In sum, "So if you like the cereal tones or that smoked peaty aroma, drink your malt whisky neat."

However, before you start waving that in someone's face as she reaches for the quaint water jug designed especially for this purpose...

When you add water to one it tastes much better, but add water to another and it might taste far worse. For example, heavier whiskies that have strong sulfur notes -those compounds are released when you dilute the whisky, and most people find them unpleasant.

Here's a link to the whole article in "Chemistry World," including some information about why I've been too harsh to those who put ice in their whisky. Who knew?

Like most good, long-standing clannish fueds it remains entirely up to one's personal taste and family tartan tradition as to whether you add water or not. Alternatively, you could just try to decide which will make you look sexier when ordering a drink. Which leads us back to Bond. Throw it all out and go for the martini? Here's that clip I promised to help you decide.