Rare Breed--Undrinkable?

[Gillman]

I agree fully. More power to those who prefer neat sampling no matter what the proof but this is not a traditional way to drink whiskey - not that there are any "rules", to be sure.

Gary

[Hedmans Brorsa]

I usually add water if I´m disappointed with the nose. A little splash of H2O can sometimes liven up a dull scent.

I have to stress, though, that this is an exception rather than a rule. As for heavier stuff like Rare Breed, I normally sip those in smaller quantities.

[ratcheer]

I am probably about 50/50. I drink it straight a lot of the time, but I also am very often in the mood for one on-the-rocks. And I occasionally cut with water and no ice. And on rare occasions, I have ice and water (as Chuck Cowdery suggested a few months back).

But I almost never decide to have it straight, then add ice or water after a sip or two. If I'm in the mood for it straight, that's the way I have it.

Oh, and it has nothing to do with proof. I almost always have Old Grand Dad 114 straight, while I often have Wild Turkey 101 on-the-rocks. I almost always have Blanton's straight at 94 proof, but almost always have 90-proof Evan Williams on-the-rocks.

Tim

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

I almost always drink whiskey straight. If I rinse the glass between different whiskeys I will shake the glass vigorously to remove as much water as possible. A few months ago that wasn't good enough. At that time I was drying the glass with a soft cotton cloth. If a whiskey requires water, and some do, it is likely to sit on my shelf a long time between pours. Having stated my preferance in the matter I will now admit that I am not sure that this is a good idea. Healthwise I am sure it is better to cut your whiskey to well below 80 proof. After a night of drinking the high proof stuff my lips are dry and my tongue feels rough and I sometimes have heartburn as well. If I drink enought water, a tumbler full or so, between pours I am usually all right. The good stuff just tastes so much better straight.
Ed

[CrispyCritter]

I generally don't add water, except with certain cask-strength Scotches, or sometimes with Stagg.

Last night, I tried splashing a small amount of water into some OGD 114. Big mistake! While it still tasted good, it developed a nasty, sulfurous smell to it - and I was using reverse-osmosis filtered water! It's far better neat.

Another one that didn't take well to dilution (ice, in this case) was Knob Creek. With ice, it was almost cloyingly sweet.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

If I drink enough water, a tumbler full or so, between pours I am usually all right.

This is the recommended thing to do. I always gulp down vast quantities of water inbetween pours.

I used to have problems with heartburn as well. Encouraged by my aunt (a pensioned nurse) I started to take "White weeks" intermittently. Since then, no problems.

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Just goes to show, everyone is different. OGD 114, at least the bottle I have, is one of the few that requires water. For me at least.
Ed

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

What are "white weeks"?

BTW, when I was doing Atkins my heartburn disappeared almost completely. I wasn't drinking then either, but I had stopped drinking (For more than two years I didn't drink a drop) before I started doing Atkins and still had heartburn.

Ed

[CrispyCritter]

Well, I did some further poking around, and the problem that I had with adding water to OGD 114 was caused by spent cartridges in the reverse osmosis filter. Once I get that straightened out, I'll have to try it again.

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Hello Ed!

Sorry about the confusion. Not aware of the English expression, I translated directly from Swedish. A "white week" means abstaining from alcohol completely for one week.