Our Drinking Has A Whiskey Problem
It would seem to go without saying – at least much saying, anyway – that you don’t have to tell a person how to drink their whiskey. Just fill your favorite glass receptacle with the appropriate amount of your favorite whiskey, put said glassy receptacle to your lips, tilt head ever so slightly [guzzling is frowned upon, naturally – this isn’t your frat kegger] and feel the subsequent pleasurable effects of a spirited liquid interacting with the atoms and molecules of your bloodstream. Repeat.
But just as everybody’s opinion of why their March Madness bracket was altered by aliens is different, so are the discussions on what is the “proper” way to drink your whiskey. There are those – let’s call them the Traditionalists or the Neat-o’s – who would rather squirm for three days in a vat of otter snot than have their whiskey violated by any other substance. No ice, no water, no smooth river rocks, no koala toenail clippings, nothing – just straight whiskey that brought you to the party and that same whiskey with which you’ll be leaving the party.
Then there are the Waterers – they would like to add a drop or even as much as a splash of water to their whiskies – and it is said that this is a method that tends to work well with certain strong Scotch malts at room temperature, possibly enhancing aromas and flavors for those with less sensitive palates.
The Icers will take that one step further and add an entire ice cube, ice ball or several ice cubes to their whiskies which will tend to dull the flavors or make a smoother transition with your taste buds – depending on what sort of bribery deal you have with your buds when it comes to imbibing alcohol – but make the drink more refreshing on a hot, summer day in the backyard.
After water and ice, there can only be what have to be described as the amateurs – who might try adding a foreign flavor [cola, lemonade, fruit bat] to the whiskey in an effort to, we suspect, try to introduce alcohol to the brain via rocket sled or ply an unsuspecting female with a liquid invitation to release her sensibilities, either way, we really don’t have to mention Fireball in any sort of positive light do we?
The bottom line – no matter what they tell you outside that trailer park in Kansas, everybody is different and whatever works for your taste buds and you perceive enhances your sense of appreciation for fine whiskey is what you should go with.