How do you drink whisky?

I reckon if someone's trying to tell you how you should enjoy your own whisky then they're idiots. The best way to enjoy a whisky is the way you like it, and don't ever let anyone try to tell you you're wrong!

That said, I did wince a little when I poured a seldom-seen family member an Ardbeg Corryvreckan after he intimated that he loved whisky, and then he helped himself to topping the glass up with Coke.

I wasn't angry, because I'd already made the decision to let him have some whisky. And he seemed to enjoy it. The offerings for his 2nd whisky were made from a different section of the cabinet, however.

To answer the question, however: If I'm "tasting" whisky (at a tasting session, or for the first time, or to make notes) I'll use a Glencairn glass or a Master of Malt tasting glass, and try the whisky neat, then try it with a couple of mLs (a reserved splash) of water.

To drink whisky when relaxing depends a bit more on the whisky: some I can happily enjoy straight up, some need a splash of water to take the burn away. If it's a hot day, some can happily be diluted down to 20 or 30% to make a nice tall drink. If I drop around to a friend's house and they serve me a tumbler of Glenlivet with a couple of cubes in it, I'm not going to admonish them. At the end of the day, no matter how you're drinking a whisky, that means you've got a whisky - which is already a huge step up from not having a whisky. The rest is bonus points ;)

@jasonbstanding " no matter how you're drinking a whisky, that means you've got a whisky - which is already a huge step up from not having a whisky" this is a maxim by which you could live your life - class!

To each his own, and personally I find ice to be a little distasteful, due to the fact it really masks a large amount of the nose, not allowing the person to gain the full propensity of the dram itself. I personally am true to having my dram neat, varying slightly sometimes for a tears worth of water (seems to do it for me). Traditional glencairn glasses seem to be perform well in terms of the nosing and easily distinguishing the colour of the malt as well. Perfect in my opinion.

@sbl I recently watched those videos on the Laphroaig website and they are very educational. I too picked up on the comment from their master blender Richard Hicks to have a little water behind your teeth then sip your whisky. Great technique!

Being a new entrant in this fascinating world of whisky, when I was at my first tasting that sparked my "dram" passion, we tasted from large snifters. After tasting undiluted , we were then given spring water and straws and introduced literally only 2-3 drops of water from the straw into the half finger glass of whisky. Amazing transformation. Ice was not an option at the tasting but they did say "find a way to drink it the way you can enjoy it".

Currently what I have been doing after some experimentation with a couple different glass styles is drinking from a snifter, neat. Shortly after I crack a new bottle, I'll add a few drops of spring water (Voss) to the dram and see what it does. Maybe it works, maybe not but that's part of the fun.

The snifter, for me, is currently a good choice of glassware as it's winter and I like my whisky to be warm which helps release the range of aromas. I love holding the short stem between my fingers with the bowl of the glass nicely cupped in the palm of my hand. I can easily waltz / swirl the whisky, nose it often and all the while the whisky is being warmed by my hand. I love getting that chill out of the sip.

As spring and summer approach, I'm thinking the Glencairn glassware might be a good vessel to drink from as the whisky won't be as cool and it's another way to enjoy the dram experience. I'm in the process of ordering a couple of those.

One other little interesting tip I learned from "the Queen of the Stills" in one of the Laphroaig Live TV videos. She suggested smearing a little whisky across the top of your hand to help smell the whisky in a different way. I thought this was brilliant as I was wondering what to do with the drop or two that spill down the side of the bottle after pouring a dram. I always used to "catch" those drops with my finger and took a little taste via "the finger drip". Now after catching those drips, I rub it on that back of my hand (clean of course) for a different perspective in the nosing ritual. What fun!

As i say whenever ordering whisky in a restaurant or bar: Oban.....neat..........no ice, no fruit, no straw!!!!!!!!! I have no idea why in heavens name anyone would put any of those into a single malt scotch. For me, ice chills the palate and takes away from the experience. Although I must admit, when enjoying a rather potent cask strength, I will add a tiny bit of water, just to tone it down a bit, and to enhance the body and complexity as the high alcohol content may hide it. Blended scotch (especially the really cheap stuff that people reserve for company), I will often mix with Drambouie for a more palatable rusty nail. Finally.........the glass. When A.J. and i get together for a tasting, we use a small snifter (noseglass)......it allows the vapours to concentrate, allowing one to take in all the aromas. Sipping and rolling around in the mouth to completely coat the entire palate , inhaling and exhaling through the nose and mouth allows all the flavours to come through For everyday drinking, i use a really heavy bottomed tumbler......i think it came with a bottle of Bacardi rum.

No water when tasting for the first time. With water when tasting the second time. I just like to see the difference or I should rather say the broadening of the experience. Glencairn glass is cool, nice to drink from and nice to hold. But I can`t see any problems with other types of glasses. Hint: dark chocholate or chocholate cookies with (single malt) whisky.

If I'm tasting a whisky, I always have it neat in a Glencairn glass, nose and taste it that way, and then add 3 or 4 drops of room-temperature water (using a straw) and re-nose and re-taste. If I'm just drinking a single-malt to enjoy it, I'll add the water only if my first tasting revealed an improvement with water. If I'm drinking a blend or something mild and uncomplicated, I will generally use a rocks glass (tumbler), neat. This is also the way I prefer whisk(e)y in a bar.

I never use ice, and never more than 3 or 4 drops of water. I always cringe when I see Ralfy drop 5 or 6 teaspoons of water into his drams, but to each his own! (And Ralfy certainly knows better than I do...)

Neat....... usually in a glencairn glass, nose it for a while before drinking, if its a everyday dram then i may drink in a tumbler, im a sipper rather than large amounts, no need to rush what has been waiting in wood for an age....... its a sit back and reflect time...

I've just recently started drinking whisky, but I drink mine the same way as I taste them for the first time. I use my tulip glass and don't add any water or ice. Must say that I only have experience with the easyer (speyside) whisky's.

@Seemin, your profile picture looks like my wife, my sister and I at a tasting! What are those creatures? Groundhogs? Some type of Kangaroo? Some exotic species from Madagascar?

@Seemin, or Prairie Dogs?

@Victor These are indeed prairie dogs, I found them in the zoo in Emmen (Netherlands). They obviously found out how to be curious and still be able to sit relaxed and comfortably.

Never add water and use a tumbler for blendeds and a wine glass for single malt e vatteds (we don't have glencairns glasses in Brazil).

Neat to start with, and then for a stronger scotch add from a couple of drops up to maybe a teasoon of water. I find that anything under about 46% out of the bottle has already had as much water as it can stand added to it, and even a tiny bit of extra water gives it that "drowned" taste. Never ice.

my ritual - pour cold spring water into a rocking scotch glass - drink it, then add the whisky for the evening. i may add an additional drop of water to some of the more complex single malts, like Glenmorangie original. cheers!

I prefer neat for the most part. If I'm looking to make the pour last for a while, I may add a small bit of good water. Personally, I think that water very slightly dulls the complexity of good bourbons. The Glencairn Glass is a good way to enjoy your favorite, be it your favorite scotch or a fine small batch bourbon.

No ice for me. I always use a Glencairn glass.

I find that the whiskey will "open" after the first sip once the alcohol blast has passed. In order to enjoy as much of the bouquet, my first sip is always short.

1. For "tasting," I use a Glencairn glass and spend a lot of time just sniffing it.
2. For chilling out rather than serious tasting, I use a rocks glass from the freezer. The glass cools the drink without diluting it with water. (Good bourbon is made with iron-free spring water. Why risk messing it up with ice or tap water loaded with who knows what minerals and, of course, chlorine?)
3. When socializing, (that is, when focused on friends more than on my drink) there is a lot to be said for on the rocks.

I use a Glencairn like whiskey glass from Millstone distillery (Dutch). I generally prefer whiskey neat. However adding litteraly a few drops of water can make some flavours more alive. Ice is out.

When opening a new whisky bottle, I put some whisky in my glass and smell the liquid, for about 30 minutes, more or less and then drink(sipping) the whisky, neat! After that, I'll pour some more in my cleaned and dry glass and put 3 drops of water in it. And then sipping and sipping for a long time(30-60min)! What a great way of enjoying your whisk(e)y!! In the mean time, I've made some notes as well. Maybe a little advice: when drinking whiskies with an ABV of 50% and more (the so called C(ask) S(trength) whiskies) you better use water(use a pippet), because you certainly will discover the diversity in flavours in the whisky and that's where w're looking for, isn't it? And then you'll get lots of discussions and...fun and sometimes even friends ;-) Cheers!

No ice for me either, and i only put a few drops of water in a certain whiskies like aberlour abunadh. I normally drink from glencain glasses, but ive just bought some tulip shaped glasses with little glass lids from ardbeg. I pour the whisky about ten to fifteen minutes before i drink it, when you take the lid off you get lovely intense aromas. cheers.

I got it figured out. Start a new whisky neat. You really need to learn it and understand it. Then water to taste. Sometimes no water is needed- hello, Laphroaig 18. The way I add water is by letting frozen spring water melt in my glass. Not enough to freeze my mouth and hide flavors, but just enough to melt away before I start drinking it. I found these decorative ice trays that are small, so I can be consistent with the amount of spring water I put in the snifter. And if a particular whisky needs less water, I use the same ice cube, but I add more whisky.

There is only one real way to drink your whisky: youtube.com/watch/…

I sip half of the glass neat and then add an ice cube. In doing this, you get to taste the whisky full flavor at full strength then other flavors come out when the ice cube is added making it a complete experience.

Drink it like a man. Even if you're a woman. Whatever you do, own it. It's your drink and you're the boss. Never let anyone intimidate your drinking style.

Pretty much neat most of the time. Higher proof stuff I'll cut with a small amount of water if needed. When the weather warms up I'll do some mixing to change things up.

I like a generous dram in a glencairn or copita, and depending on the nature of the whisky I add some spring water. I always start with one drop, see what it does and add a little more when needed. I think the younger cask strength whiskies in general can take a little more than the older ones at a lower %

I usually drink my whisky neat from a Glencairn glass or a copita. I only add a couple drops of water if I don't like the new whisky or if it's just too potent (like a strongly flavored cask strength whisky). I never use ice.

@SherryCask Great, I just have one question. Do you throw the whisky on the floor to coat the rim of the copita glass. LOL. :)