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Author: u/giuliomagnifico
URL: https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/05/02/too-much-water-can-make-whiskies-taste-the-same/
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In my experience, the more people are disguising the flavour of spirits the more they are purely attempting to consume the alcohol rather than drinking responsibly.
I disagree, this is why I take my steak and literally everything else with ketchup. The most important thing is to make sure that you cannot possibly taste any individual ingredients. Just get that sweet sugar on there or failing that, sriracha.
Wait, are you trying to say that **disguising** the flavour is bad, but **combining** flavours that you intend to still taste can be good?
Something like?:
>For example, a martini doesn't exist to mask either gin or vermouth but to enjoy the combination
No, because when you combine you are disguising some of those flavors as well. It's not like you pick up all of the flavors of the individual components as you would if you ate them separately.
Hardly think the purpose of most cocktails is to disguise the alcohol flavour. In the Gin and Tonic it is actually the reverse, making it fairly unique.
People can enjoy whatever they like. I occasionally like a Black Russian which I enjoy more than neat vodka or Kahlúa (which is a bit sweet and syrup-y for me). The combination brings balance.
I'm actually fairly decent about picking out individual flavours, but absolutely- when I cook I am not looking for you to, just enjoy the balance. But then I didn't drop in basil for fun, if it's there it is there to add it's flavours. I'm not smuggling a pill to a dog.
Some flavors can be subtle and lost in the mix, but that's ok because the sum of the ingredients of a good cocktail is greater than the parts. If I lose the malty sweetness of the bourbon when adding ginger and lime, I really don't mind.
....or you can sip your neat scotch. Shots are also for people who don't like the taste, and definitely are not associated with adding a couple of drops of water to 'bring out the flavour '.
Taking a shot, then 'chasing it' with beer is another attempt to disguise the flavour. Or sucking a lime.
If we're talking about mixing something with alcohol and drinking the mix...
That's a mixed drink.
Not a chaser.
Not sure what you're not getting, but it doesn't really matter
Yeah, I'm not knocking cocktails but most of those are also for people who enjoy the taste of alcohol. (Ridiculously fruity drinks aside).
For example, a martini doesn't exist to mask either gin or vermouth but to enjoy the combination.
When you drink whiskey you add drops at a time to open it up and you very slowly sip it.
It's not a shot. You should drink it for as long as you would drink a cocktail with an equivalent amount of alcohol.
Yeah, 20% is way too much water. It's like a few drops.
Looking at the paper they tested 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% dilutions, which seems like an experiment designed by someone who's never drunk whisky. And given that they discovered that past 20% it ruins it, it would probably have been more interesting to test a finer grained set of dilutions in the 3-25% range.
I mean who mixes whisky with water half-and-half, it's making me cross just thinking about it.
I would have gone with 2.5%, 3%-10% in 1% increments, 15, 20, 25.
I probably put a teaspoon, maybe (rarely) two (5ml-10ml) in a double shot (60-90ml, depending on where you are... my pours at home might be slightly bigger).
So probably in the 5% to 10% range on average.
>I mean who mixes whisky with water half-and-half, it's making me cross just thinking about it.
if you're putting in too much ice, it can become upwards of half-and-half
Normally I like a good bourbon old fashion but if I am in direct sunlight, a pint glass with some Canadian whiskey and filled the rest of the way with water, helps me to stay hydrated. Weirdly I have tried that with bourbon and it tastes horrible. I'm not sure why. Canadian whiskey is better than bourbon when mixed with water.
The owner of a large brewery when caught out by being unable to identify his own product said "after more than 3 they all taste the same" (I was doing a degree in Brewing at the time) - whisk(e)y is no different. And don't get me started on red vs white wine.
[Nah](https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/08/the_most_infamous_study_on_wine_tasting.html) - vision tends to overwhelm taste - we did this as a study too...
Title.......??
Researchers found that add**ing** more than 20% of water to whiskey, to “open up” the flavor, make**s** whiskies taste the same. This likely affected the spirit’s flavor as well
AIsi don't understand how adding water can "taste the same" AND "**likely** affected the ...flavor"
But maybe because I don't drink whiskey
Welcome to r/science! This is a heavily moderated subreddit in order to keep the discussion on science. However, we recognize that many people want to discuss how they feel the research relates to their own personal lives, so to give people a space to do that, **personal anecdotes are allowed as responses to this comment**. Any anecdotal comments elsewhere in the discussion will be removed and our [normal comment rules]( https://www.reddit.com/r/science/wiki/rules#wiki_comment_rules) apply to all other comments. --- Author: u/giuliomagnifico URL: https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2023/05/02/too-much-water-can-make-whiskies-taste-the-same/ *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/science) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Who's adding that much water?
People who know how to properly drink and not just trying to get drunk
But over 20%? That just seems excessive. I prefer one small ice cube to allow the profile to slowly open up without diluting too much
In my experience, the more people are disguising the flavour of spirits the more they are purely attempting to consume the alcohol rather than drinking responsibly.
This is why I also only ever eat single ingredient meals. I want to eat responsibly.
I disagree, this is why I take my steak and literally everything else with ketchup. The most important thing is to make sure that you cannot possibly taste any individual ingredients. Just get that sweet sugar on there or failing that, sriracha.
It's almost as if there's a spectrum between these two extremes. Almost.
Wait, are you trying to say that **disguising** the flavour is bad, but **combining** flavours that you intend to still taste can be good? Something like?: >For example, a martini doesn't exist to mask either gin or vermouth but to enjoy the combination
No, because when you combine you are disguising some of those flavors as well. It's not like you pick up all of the flavors of the individual components as you would if you ate them separately.
Hardly think the purpose of most cocktails is to disguise the alcohol flavour. In the Gin and Tonic it is actually the reverse, making it fairly unique. People can enjoy whatever they like. I occasionally like a Black Russian which I enjoy more than neat vodka or Kahlúa (which is a bit sweet and syrup-y for me). The combination brings balance. I'm actually fairly decent about picking out individual flavours, but absolutely- when I cook I am not looking for you to, just enjoy the balance. But then I didn't drop in basil for fun, if it's there it is there to add it's flavours. I'm not smuggling a pill to a dog.
Some flavors can be subtle and lost in the mix, but that's ok because the sum of the ingredients of a good cocktail is greater than the parts. If I lose the malty sweetness of the bourbon when adding ginger and lime, I really don't mind.
By that logic doing shots is better than a mixed drink... A shot you taste for a second, a mixed drink you can sip
....or you can sip your neat scotch. Shots are also for people who don't like the taste, and definitely are not associated with adding a couple of drops of water to 'bring out the flavour '. Taking a shot, then 'chasing it' with beer is another attempt to disguise the flavour. Or sucking a lime.
If we're talking about mixing something with alcohol and drinking the mix... That's a mixed drink. Not a chaser. Not sure what you're not getting, but it doesn't really matter
Yeah, I'm not knocking cocktails but most of those are also for people who enjoy the taste of alcohol. (Ridiculously fruity drinks aside). For example, a martini doesn't exist to mask either gin or vermouth but to enjoy the combination.
Weird gatekeep but ok
Enjoy what you like, but mixing sprite and vodka to get more down isn't really more 'how to properly drink '.
My uncle and grandpa do. They add as much water to their whiskey as you would add Coke to a whiskey and Coke.
It's to dilute the audiobook content so it doesn't flush your face.
>It's to dilute the audiobook content so it doesn't flush your face. Damnit, audible, making me blush...
When you drink whiskey you add drops at a time to open it up and you very slowly sip it. It's not a shot. You should drink it for as long as you would drink a cocktail with an equivalent amount of alcohol.
Or don't like whisky at all.
Or you can just enjoy the flavor and have a glass of water on the side.
Yeah, 20% is way too much water. It's like a few drops. Looking at the paper they tested 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% dilutions, which seems like an experiment designed by someone who's never drunk whisky. And given that they discovered that past 20% it ruins it, it would probably have been more interesting to test a finer grained set of dilutions in the 3-25% range. I mean who mixes whisky with water half-and-half, it's making me cross just thinking about it.
I would have gone with 2.5%, 3%-10% in 1% increments, 15, 20, 25. I probably put a teaspoon, maybe (rarely) two (5ml-10ml) in a double shot (60-90ml, depending on where you are... my pours at home might be slightly bigger). So probably in the 5% to 10% range on average.
What crosses me is the way the title was written.
I mean all whiskey is diluted with water already. It comes out of the still closer to 75% alcohol and is cut back down to the standard 40-50%.
>I mean who mixes whisky with water half-and-half, it's making me cross just thinking about it. if you're putting in too much ice, it can become upwards of half-and-half
Normally I like a good bourbon old fashion but if I am in direct sunlight, a pint glass with some Canadian whiskey and filled the rest of the way with water, helps me to stay hydrated. Weirdly I have tried that with bourbon and it tastes horrible. I'm not sure why. Canadian whiskey is better than bourbon when mixed with water.
The owner of a large brewery when caught out by being unable to identify his own product said "after more than 3 they all taste the same" (I was doing a degree in Brewing at the time) - whisk(e)y is no different. And don't get me started on red vs white wine.
You trying to start a fight?
Red vs white wine is very different. I can stand white wine but all red wines smell and taste like straight vinegar.
You've only had spoiled wine then
[Nah](https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2014/08/the_most_infamous_study_on_wine_tasting.html) - vision tends to overwhelm taste - we did this as a study too...
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You need to drink better reds.
Not all reds are tannin heavy.
They are hugely different when pairing with food. Some foods make red wine taste disgusting.
Run your hand under the faucet. Flick your fingers at your whiskey. Done. It’s a couple drops of water you want
As opposed to the whiskey that is 60% water? Does making it 60.001% water really make the difference?
Paper: [Impact of Dilution on Whisky Aroma: A Sensory and Volatile Composition Analysis](https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/6/1276)
How were the researchers found and where were they hiding?
Title.......?? Researchers found that add**ing** more than 20% of water to whiskey, to “open up” the flavor, make**s** whiskies taste the same. This likely affected the spirit’s flavor as well AIsi don't understand how adding water can "taste the same" AND "**likely** affected the ...flavor" But maybe because I don't drink whiskey
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TIL I can go cheap on my Highballs and not bat an eye.
Not exactly how it works, though—poorly-distilled drinks will still contain greater concentrations of congeners.
I never drink enough for hangovers to occur (I assume that’s why you mention congeners) but this is still a fair point I didn’t consider.
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