Whisky Stones?? for cooling?

[thanis]

To each their own, and if you like these stones, good.

I just like whiskey as it comes. Done the frige thing a few times. Mostly I like to have a glass of ice water and a seperate glass of whiskey. I let it mix in the belly.

Another solution, if you like your whiskey cool but not diluted, is to keep the bottle in the refrigerator or even the freezer (it won't freeze)...

I think the frige does a better job.

I disagree, a little, with cowdery on the freezer. IMHO, changes the taste a little after a while, and will form a few ice crystals. Will not "freeze." I don't think it change proof, just taste, maybe it is something like freezer burn. Some who like higher proof like it. I could be wrong, but I think the effect on proof is very minor (less than 1%, even less than .5%).

[cowdery]

Whiskey at 40% alcohol or greater won't freeze but that doesn't mean the taste doesn't change. I find it unpleasantly bitter. As I said earlier, there's really no substitute for ice because it's the cold water from the melting ice and not the cold hard thing (the ice itself) that creates the on-the-rocks effect.

Even though I drink whiskey neat, maybe with some water back, at least 90% of the time, I don't begrudge people their ice. Who is anyone else to say how you should enjoy your drink? It is fair to say that a person can taste more when the spirit, and any water added to it, are at room temperature. But the enjoyment of whiskey isn't just about careful tasting. If ice makes the drinking of it more enjoyable for you, then go for it.

[ILLfarmboy]

Whiskey at 40% alcohol or greater won't freeze but that doesn't mean the taste doesn't change. I find it unpleasantly bitter. .

I agree.

Cold whiskey is bitter. Melt water is what mitigates against this effect. Personally, I find the melt water takes more away from the whiskey than it mitigates against this bitterness. (He lone exception to this occurs when the whiskey is already pretty dilute,(80) proof. Since I usually don't drink 80 proof bourbons, Irish whiskey is the only spirit I drink on the rocks.

[cowdery]

If you like cold but find ice dilutes too much, the best solution is probably to start with higher proof whiskey. Unfortunately, there is no real substitute for ice.

[pepcycle]

As always chuck, you inspire me.

Amazing what can be done with a little liquid nitrogen.

Bourbon Cubes!!!!

Thats right. I took a plastic ice tray (which cracked, by the way) and filled it with bourbon.

I laid it inside a small styrofoam cooler with a one inch layer of liquid nitrogen.

Whammy!!!!

Bourbon Cubes.

I place one in a cup of water and it boiled for a few seconds (cold boiling) and chilled the contents to freezing in about 20 seconds.

I'm keeping them in the cooler till I get home.

[pepcycle]

Liquid Nitrogen ends up to be overkill.

I tried it with dry ice and it works.

Here's a chart for ethanol mixtures freezing points.
Based on this a 120 proof bourbon (plus a few congeners) should freeze somewhere between 135 and -55 degrees F. Dry Ice is around -110 degrees F. Liquid Nitrogen is somewhere around -325 degrees F.
Assuming this is all true, a CO2 fire extinguisher should work.

Freezing Point of Ethanol based Water Solutions

Freezing PointEthanol Concentration
(% by volume) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Temperature(F)32 25 15 -10 -25 -35 -55-75
(

[ILLfarmboy]

Liquid Nitrogen ends up to be overkill.

I tried it with dry ice and it works.

Here's a chart for ethanol mixtures freezing points.
Based on this a 120 proof bourbon (plus a few congeners) should freeze somewhere between 135 and -55 degrees F. Dry Ice is around -110 degrees F. Liquid Nitrogen is somewhere around -325 degrees F.
Assuming this is all true, a CO2 fire extinguisher should work.

Freezing Point of Ethanol based Water Solutions

Freezing PointEthanol Concentration
(% by volume) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Temperature(F)32 25 15 -10 -25 -35 -55-75
(

Your post got me to thinking. I wonder if there is any danger in drinking something that cold. Our bodies aren't designed to do that. Obviously, whiskey sized sips would warm up a bit by the time they hit the back of the throat, but It wouldn't be doing someone's taste buds any good, I wouldn't think.

[Enabler]

I have the whiskey stones. They are soapstone and I find no effect on the taste but for cooling they are not that great. I suppose if you chilled them to really cold (-50 or something) it might work better, but I find that they warm up too quickly.

I might suggest that if you like your whiskey neat, but cold (an odd combination in my mind) that you might have a bowl of ice to set your glass in between sips.

That being said, the stones are a great conversation piece and cool to show off to people who come over.

[pepcycle]

Here are some shots of Bourbon on Bourbon Rocks.
I made 1oz "cubes" in a silicone mini muffin pan.

Placed on dry ice for about 1/2 hour.

Released and poured 1 oz of 100 proof whiskey over the bourbon rocks.

Dry ice imparted a little bit of carbonation to the cubes. Kind of interesting. Prickly.

Frosted the glass in about 15 seconds and chilled but never froze the whiskey in the glass.

Temp of whiskey in glass dropped to about 25 degrees F. Colder than freezing but didn't burn or freeze lips, tongue etc.

Cubes lasted about 10 minutes but glass and bourbon were 32 or below for 22 minutes, without any dilution.

Viscosity and oiliness goes way up. Almost slimey.

Next batch will be protected from absorbing CO2 in cooler.