Although you’ll often find a peaty-
smoky flavour in Scotch, there are just as many with no peat at all. That’s because, while many distilleries do make their Scotch from peated barley, many others do not. There is no hard and fast rule here, but a dram of totally unpeated Glengoyne ($62.55 at LCBO) will quickly dispel the myth that Scotch is peaty. And that Connemara Irish whisky
we mentioned earlier? It’s loaded with peat smoke.
Myth number five: Never add water to whisky. The macho image of a biker
swigging Jack Daniel’s straight from the bottle tells us nothing about enjoying whisky flavours. Often adding a bit of water is actually a good idea. A splash of water releases some of the flavour in the whisky making it smell and taste a lot richer. And what about ice? It’s just frozen water, after all. Ice chills the whisky, reducing some of its flavour. Ice is a great idea if you are drinking cheap rotgut, but if you are enjoying a fine whisky, it’s best to do so at room temperature. When they were making the whisky, the blenders worked with the whisky at room temperature. So, if you want to taste what the whisky makers did, then do what they did – taste it at room temperature.
And finally, a truth about whisky. Bar bets and whisky trivia aside,
you bought it, you paid for it, so drink your whisky however you like it. Don’t let some expert tell you that you need special techniques or rituals to enjoy it. Ice, water, coke, ginger ale, straight from the bottle or in snooty glasses – it’s yours to enjoy. Now, grab your lucky rabbit’s foot
and go out and win yourself a free one.
Davin de Kergommeaux is a contributing editor for Whisky Magazine and the author of the award- winning book Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert.
www.bounder.ca
BOUNDER MAGAZINE 55
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