Whiskey - Cold as Ice
The Problem
To ice or not to ice? That is the question. It is a debate that can cause ripples in friendships and feuds over twitter- should you add ice to whiskey? Even though there is no definitive answer, there is a science behind this debate and it is important to understand certain things before you take your next sip of whiskey.
Many whiskey drinkers feel like the addition of ice would dilute the flavor of something that has already been perfectly crafted. This is a valid point because ice does inevitably melt, causing the whiskey to lose its original flavor. On the flip side, ice has a tendency to bring out hidden flavors from the whiskey because of simple biology and chemistry.
The Science
When a person sips on cold whiskey, the mouth will naturally warm up the beverage. This triggers flavor molecules to activate, which sends previously dormant aromas up to the nose. As a result, the brain perceives these aromas as additional tastes, strengthening the overall flavor of the whiskey.
A Solution?
So if ice can both dilute and enhance the flavor of whiskey, do you add ice or not? The key to answering this question is actually in the quality of the ice. Traditional ice cubes can melt rapidly, especially in a room temperature whiskey. However, ice spheres will melt significantly slower than regular ice cubes, preventing watered down drinks.
The two devices currently in the market for creating ice spheres are the ice mold and ice press. I highly recommend reading Alex’s blog post [link here] to understand why ice molds are not the best solution, but to summarize, ice molds do not create much density in the ice spheres which leads to faster melting
This places the ice press as the number one solution to having perfectly cold whiskey drinks with minimal dilution of flavor. Bevratech sets the bar high in ice-making because not only does the ice sphere melt significantly slower than regular ice cubes, but the press also ensures that the ice is very dense. If you love whiskey and want the absolute best whiskey drinking experience, I highly recommend the Glacious Ice Press- the number one solution in the market for perfectly cold whiskey drinks.
melting from Apextek Labs on Vimeo.