All of our whiskeys are bottled at cask strength, many of them are more than 60% alcohol. Nothing comes between the cask and the bottle except a simple strainer to remove bits of char and wood left from the cask. When enjoyed neat, these whiskeys can come off as “hot” or alcoholic. Here is the approach we use to tame the alcoholic nip and coax the maximum enjoyment from each glass.

Start by taking a gentle whiff and the tiniest taste of your whiskey neat. With a teaspoon or a dropper, start adding water a little at a time, nosing and tasting the whiskey as you go. Find your sweet spot without drowning the whiskey. In our experience this is between 1 and 2 teaspoons of water to a measure of whiskey. Take your time. We find these whiskeys open up and continue to improve the longer they sit in the glass. It might be a good idea to pour a glass, or your next glass, early and let it sit for a while. You’ll be surprised at the difference this can make.

The best way to drink whiskey is, of course, however you like to drink it: neat, with a little water, over ice, with a mixer, or even in a cocktail. Cheers!