Whisk(e)y Trivia
The burning, pungent qualities contributed by the high proportion of alcohol in whisky can make it hard to evaluate nuances. Adding water dilutes the alcohol, which reduces the burn and allows other properties to reveal themselves. But there’s also something significant happening on a molecular level. Aroma molecules share more chemical likenesses with alcohol than they do with water. As such, they tend to bind with alcohol. Adding water frees up more of the aroma molecules to evaporate into the taster’s nose. Since appreciation of flavors happens at least as much in the nose as on the tongue, “watered-down” spirits actually seem more flavorful.
So, there is no right or wrong answer to this. Adding water to whisky is a personal choice, and down to your personal tastes.
Drinking and eating are both wonderful pleasures of life, specially if you pair them perfectly. Give these scotch and food pairings a try and have a blast!
- Light to medium cheeses (smokey whiskies)
- Grilled Steak
- Hummus (complex whiskies)
- Green olives (simple whiskies, not peaty or complex whiskies)
- Roasted nuts (smokey whiskies)
- Salted nuts (peated whiskies)
- Sweet nuts (Cask Strength whiskies)
- Pure Chocolate (fruity & sherry casked whiskies)
- Sushi (peated whiskies)
About Glen moray
ur story begins as the Elgin West Brewery, which had made local ales since 1830, is transformed into the whisky distillery we know so well today. The first spirit runs off our stills on 13th September, 1897, according to handwritten ledgers, now kept safe in our archives.
Made entirely from local barley, that new make spirit is filled into an unusually wide variety of casks for the time, including Marsala wine casks and sherry casks.
After a short silent period during the First World War, our distillery begins making whisky again and is bought by Macdonald & Muir, a renowned wine and spirits merchant.
While we love our scotch neat, on the rocks or with a bit of water, there's a wide range of classic cocktail recipes and modern riffs. Get a whole new appreciation for scotch by mixing some of these great scotch drinks.
Free downloads
Here you can find some useful downloads while enjoying your Tasting Box.