# Scotch/Bourbon/Whiskey drinkers: Are you supposed to add a drop of water to the drink? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2011, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173 "2011-09-22T06:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173/61 "2011-09-23T21:13:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No. Not word. Partial word, maybe. Anybody who mixes Macallan with anything other than a touch of water deserves a horsewhipping. Anybody who drink a fine cognac over ice should be euthanized. Cheap scotch and Christian Bothers, knock yourself out. But it’s the posers who are keeping the prices out of reach of most of us, and this must stop. I picked up a bottle of The Macallan not too terribly long before I finished undergrad. It wasn’t to my liking; I prefer smoky, peaty things. So I still had some sitting around when it was getting near time to move, and I didn’t want it to go to waste. So I started mixing it with Coke. Quite tasty. 😃 I clearly remember one fine meal–Macallan & Coke paired with the very finest PB&J sandwich. 😛 On the subject of the thread: I’ve generally found that adding water to my scotch makes it taste like watered down scotch. It’s a matter on which I’m willing to be convinced, however, and so may experiment or let myself be guided in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173/62 "2011-09-23T21:40:57Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > On the subject of the thread: I’ve generally found that adding water to my scotch makes it taste like watered down scotch. It’s a matter on which I’m willing to be convinced, however, and so may experiment or let myself be guided in the future. Don’t add that much water. The key is adding a bit, not making a mixed drink. I hate it when Mrs. Devil uses a good Scotch for mixing. I get the but-it’ll-go-to-waste-otherwise argument, but _in general_ the experience of a single malt wholly lost when other flavours crowd it out. Johnny or Chivas for mixing; Springbank or Oban for living. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173/63 "2011-09-24T20:23:33Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > Certainly! [Here’s a website](http://www.scotchdoc.com/tsd/ask/index.html) supporting what I’ve said, plus an explanation of what’s going on chemically. It was a fun read for me, because I didn’t know how it worked either! Thanks. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2011, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173/64 "2011-09-25T07:35:10Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > I picked up a bottle of The Macallan not too terribly long before I finished undergrad. It wasn’t to my liking; I prefer smoky, peaty things. So I still had some sitting around when it was getting near time to move, and I didn’t want it to go to waste. > > So I started mixing it with Coke. Quite tasty. A friendly warning: do not visit Scotland or you will be shot on sight. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173/65 "2011-09-26T09:55:20Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Anybody who wonders what a little bit of water can do to an alcoholic drink needs to get themselves some ouzo, absinthe, Pernod/pastis, etc. According to [Alfred Jarry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Jarry), that proves how dangerous water is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotch-bourbon-whiskey-drinkers-are-you-supposed-to-add-a-drop-of-water-to-the-drink/597173.md?page=3)