Blended Water Vs Regular Water: What’s The Difference When Mixing Premium Spirits?
For the bona fide connoisseur, a whisky tasting experience – which would sometimes involve adding a splash of water to the spirit – is as much about the quality of the liquor as it is about the mixer introduced into the glass. And water, although it might sound straightforward, is quite a complex mixer, especially when it is added to an exquisite blended Scotch or single malt.
Many times, a few drops of water are added using a dropper into a premium spirit to release its flavours gradually. However, during such moments, what kind of water is added to the whiskies largely becomes the determining factor underlying the whole tasting experience. This is where blended water comes in.
What Exactly Is Blended Water?
A specifically formulated water designed for adding to a spirit as a mixer to better accentuate its flavours, blended water is often filtered and purified to remove interfering tasting notes. Many times, master distillers craft this water in such a way that its mineral composition resembles that of the water employed during the distillation or maturation of a whisky.
Essentially, blended water is then a mineral-balanced water and many distillers even curate a blended water especially designed to complement their whisky as it replicates the distillery’s local water composition.
What Does Blended Water Do To Whisky?
Many times, whisky aficionados add blended water instead of regular water to whisky while crafting a simple mix at a cocktail gathering or at a tasting experience. One of the imperative reasons is its potential to better accentuate the deeper, nuanced tasting notes in the spirit.
Not only does blended water aid dilution, which tapers down some of the more pronounced notes in a robust whisky, it also lends the liquor a complementary touch that interacts better with the spirit’s flavours to produce a balanced mixture.
Blending 30 ml of any premium whisky of choice with a splash of Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water or any other quality blended water of choice can, in fact, better spotlight the more subdued qualities of the exquisite whisky.
Also Read: Blended Scotch vs. Single Malt: What’s the Difference And Which One Should You Choose?
Blended Water Vs Regular Water
Moreover, many connoisseurs prefer blended water to regular water also because its flavours are carefully curated to suit a whisky tasting experience.
Sometimes, the minerals and other compounds present in tap water or even certain bottled waters can interfere with the process of opening up a whisky; at others, adding distilled water which is too flat, can ultimately end up eliminating the overall complexity of the spirit. Often enough, the aromas of a whisky also tend to get disturbed or are slightly offset when bottled mineral water brings its own olfactory compounds into the spirit.
A blended water, such as the Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water or any other quality blended water of choice, designed for blending with premium blended Scotch, instead is a high-quality, neutral offering that evens the spirit out while maintaining consistency and reducing flavour shifts.
Additionally, since this water is exclusively made for providing a quality blending experience, it is curated such that its individual flavour contribution in itself remains minimal. With this in mind, a blended bottled water like Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water has zero sugar and no alcohol content to effectively prevent the mixer from influencing the nuanced flavour profile of the spirit.
Evidently, blended water triumphs as a specialised product designed for a luxe experience during a premium tasting journey. So, the next time you are hosting a whisky tasting gathering at home, you might want to ditch regular tap water or fizzy sparkling water to instead go for the mineral-optimised Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water or any other blended water of choice for a sophisticated tasting journey, marked by thoughtful mixology finesse.
Key Takeaways
- Unlike regular or tap water, blended water is filtered, purified, and mineral-balanced to enhance the flavour of premium spirits rather than alter or overpower them.
- A splash of blended water, such as Johnnie Walker Luxe Blended Water, helps release and balance the subtler tasting notes in whisky, creating a smoother and more refined drinking experience.
- Regular or distilled water can either distort or flatten a whisky’s flavour profile, while blended water maintains the integrity of the spirit by ensuring a consistent, neutral base with no added sugar or alcohol.
FAQs
Why is blended water preferred over regular water for whisky?
Blended water is designed to complement the spirit’s character by maintaining an optimal mineral balance and neutral taste, whereas regular water can contain minerals or compounds that disrupt the whisky’s flavour and aroma.
Can adding blended water change the strength of a whisky?
Yes, but only slightly. Blended water gently dilutes the whisky to open up its deeper, more nuanced notes without diminishing its overall strength or complexity.
Is blended water suitable for other spirits besides whisky?
Absolutely. While commonly paired with whisky, blended water can also enhance the taste of other premium spirits such as vodka, rum, or gin for balance and flavour clarity.
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