Should be noted that in Sweden the water in the tap is as pure as water can be. Everyone here drinks water from tap, no one really buys bottles of water ever except if its sparkling water.
Great information on scotch -- your the man! But on the fluoridation -- you don't what you are talking about. The DOSE makes the poison -- the dosage of fluoride in drinking water is NOT toxic. Chlorine is equally toxic -- would you suggest that be excluded as well? In the USA before we started adding chlorine to drinking water (~1900) we had 1000 deaths/ year/million persons due to water borne pathogens. Want to go back to that? Speaking from 37 years as professional toxicologist.
i have been watching your broadcast for a very long time now and you take all of my principles right out of my mouth. I can see that your a wise person and not corupted by big corperations, you tell the truth and thats precisely how it has to be done. Ceep up the good work! and ill be watching. And i hope to see many reviews in the up comming years from you, as a common man for the common man! Greeting from the Netherlands
This was a perfect review for me Ralfy! I'm from Phoenix AZ, where the temp can get as high as 120 °F (49 °C). I have done the frozen glencairn glass trick before, and it works. I take it one step further though and wipe any frost out of the inside of the glass so that as little water as possible will be in the glass when the whisky gets pored. Therefore the whiskys neat as possible before adding in water later to open it up. As the glass heats up the whisky notes change, very cool.
super stuff Ralfy ! thx again for your vlogs always nice to sip a dram and watch one, I just got a box of whisky stones as a gift and I tried yesterday with a Highland park 12 yr. i don't know if it was in my mind but the only thing I could taste was a burnt or caramel... anyway, will try the frozen glass on another hot summer day ! so your comment was spot on.
Ralfy, you've made my day, simply with your tip at the end. I've been telling people that for a long time and will actually boycott a product once I'm made aware of any televised adverts (I don't have a television, see). Not only because I despise advertising passionately, but also because I've noticed quality drop when a product does so. Quality of substance is inversely proportional to popularity, it so often seems these days. x
If you're enjoying something in life and it affects no one but yourself, then make your choice and carry on if you so choose. I believe Ralfy even said in a previous review that 'It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years'. Enjoy it all on your journey, your own way. x
As a Merry Malty Munchkin, I like to use quite a bit of water. Some of my friends are horrified. lol. I love these videos where you teach us "HOW TO" enjoy our whiskeys, and get the best out of them, etc. Then, when I try one that you've reviewed, I feel more confident that the whiskey, and myself, are getting a fair shake.
Chilled glasses and chilled liquer is a funny issue. Twas taught to me that if you want to keep the frost on the glass's sides pristine, you should use cotton gloves while serving. While whisky isn't really for serving chilled, as it has a good variety of flavour, vodka is commonly served so. It is supposedly a piece of Tzar-era Russian military history, where corpsmen were afforded a daily ration of vodka, most often chilled to cause surface tension to allow glasses be poured "over the brim".
Ralfie, I use the Zero Water brand filter pitchers and the taste is amazing, even when compared to other filters like the Brita. It's a slower process, but the filters take out more stuff.
Thank you so much for the discussion of the effect of heat on whisky (and spirits of all kinds). Serving temperature is something which makes wine and sake geeks tear their hair out, but it doesn't get much talk among spirits fans. I myself find that above 80-85 degrees F (which I guess is around 27-29 C), whisky becomes really unpleasant - the alcohol heat and a certain flat bitterness step forward to ruin the experience. Chilling can save things a little, I guess, but it only lasts so long...
I've been experimenting with adding water since I saw it on your videos (about two weeks ago) and have been pleasantly surprised on the change of taste. Some of the botlles which didn't impress me without have become extremely tasty with a few drops, so thanks for that eye opener! Malt mention: Malt Marauders.
Fluoride isn't toxic...it's a necessary chemical for tooth strength & development. It's one of the many reasons we've been able to live so long in the past 200 years or so
I've done a bit of experimenting. I've compared tap water, distilled water and tap water run through a filter machine at the natural foods co-op. The filtered tap water definitely opens up the whisky better. The distilled water is actually about the same as the tap water. We have very soft mildly carbonate water here, so once you get the halides out of it, it's just about perfect. But I don't think I'd advise distilled water. A soft natural water seems better.
Thanks a very imp lesson for us malt lovers in India. Always have tried to cool my whiskey with a very small cube of filtered water ice & let it settle down for a while, But i guess I'll try chilling the glass hence forth. Cheers
Consider this: Wrapping a glencairn glass in a tube of something like some kind of non smell and tasting insulating material like the stuff the put around beercans in usa, and then heat-shrink it to a precise fit around the glass. Then cut off excessive material and in the freezer it goes. The other tip i told in a earlier vlog of Ralfy : I get my dilutingwater in a fresh spring nearby. 2 X 2liters is sufficient for a year. And its free. I want fresh and non tampered water.
Ralfy, that makes a lot of sense. In the States, I bought Port Charlotte recently. Tried a glass neat, then, added a teas or so of water, this being bott at 50%. What a difference!
clank4001 one of my absolute fav whiskeys is port charlotte heavily peated mmm soo good...2 diff kinds though I just bought a bottle and its 50%, and does not mention anything about being 10 years aged or having no additives no colourings etc...where is the other bottle I bought is 46% and says aged 10 years and no colourings or flavourings added....To be honest both taste amazing but the 46% one (newer one) does taste slightly better especially with a dab of water
In my country (Turkey), the situation is a bit different. In some cities people tend to drink tap water but in Istanbul, we generally buy 19-Liter bottled water for ~2 pounds because of the bleachy-smell of the tap water. Not sure about if the figures on the bottles of water is right but, Turkey is a water-rich country and the main sources are pretty near to Istanbul so when we buy bottled water, it is generally 1-2 days old, or a week at most.
Well there are glass-coolers you can wrap around bottles,glasses and cans but they are more for keeping your drink cool in the hands. Maybe they are useful for keeping the temperature longer when the whisky has reached the optimum...
Ralfy our tap water is so heavily laden with lime that it was causing me kidney stones on a monthly basis. Very Very painful!!! Switched to bottled water and the stones disappeared. Bought in bulk from the ubiquitous Wal Mart the bottles are less than 20 cents each. Well worth it, and it goes well with my Ardbed 10 year old as well.
RALFY!!!! another way, one which i personally favour is........ Boil the kettle, decant into a mug, allow to cool, refrigarate and then use a clean spoon ect to add a few clear, clean drops to your dram :)
What if I just boil the water and afterwards cool it down in a bottle? Would that make it distilled? And of course, thanks Ralfy for your videos. You are a wise and heartwarming fellow indeed!
Hey Ralfie, i went through your old Canadian whiskey reviews, and was wondering if you would ever review Gibson's and/or Crown royal, two of the most popular, and well recieved in Canada. I would love your take on them!
love the vids...new sub for ya...I'm into the single malts...and have found your videos to be very informational...can't wait to try the water tips this weekend...len
Ralfy, you mention the preference of the drinker especially in warmer climates in this video. In your opinion, if it could be thermostatically controlled, what would be the range for "most" Scotch and Whiskey to be enjoyed? Should the bottle be chilled like a red wine in range? Is it broad such as 10-20 degress C or a smaller window?
Usually when I have a whisky I rinse the glass well with ice cold water first. It chills the glass, and usually leaves just a couple drops of water behind to mix with the whisky. Altermatively when I have tequila I use warm water and heat the glass.
Ralfy I've yet another question to pester you with. I bought a bottle of the Ardbeg Uigeadail and on this bottle it mentions "Imported by Moet Hennesy, USA INC, New York, New York". I assume the ones you have don't say that, with living in Scotland. Am I getting the same thing at all? I almost worry, but the taste is great! I know I'm arrogant but lightening things up for me surely does help as you have done before
they are all there or there abouts (the more expensive ones). laphroaig quarter cask and highland park 12 should be under £50 that is what i would recommend, if you have not tried highland park before it is best to start with the 12. you will not be disappointed with it, same with the laphroaig quarter cask it comes at 47% as well, very strong and peaty (probably the second strongest tasting from islay).
Hi Ralfy, Is it advisable to put the whisky bottle in the fridge for a while before having a dram or two, so that instead of frozen glass one can have a chilled dram so that it has perfect temperature?
Hello Ralfy, you magificent malt-magnifying glass. Here's a question I would like you to ask. It's about ... no, not what you think ;-) I'm talking of books. Have you read Doug Johnstone's "Smokeheads"? If not, this is a recommendation. Exhilarating stuff. I think you're gonna enjoy it. Best wishes from Stuttgart, Germany
Ralfy, how does adding water at bottling affect quality as compared with adding water to cask-strength whisky while drinking? i.e., when I drink cask-strength whisky, I add water. When bottling at less than cask strength, the distillery adds water. What then is the real difference in quality then between, say, the standard 10 year old Laphroaig and the cask-strength version, if one adds enough water to dilute the cask-strength version to the same alcoholic strength as the standard version?
How fun would it be for all of us merry maltsters to meet up, and have our own lil'whisky fest with of course our beloved Ralfy acting as the MC? I think Lost Wages (aka Las Vegas) in the fall, or spring would be a fun meeting place for us all.
your so right about wasting money on bottled water. I live in california, every one thinks it's healthy on the contrary i used to work for coca-cola and 80% of the world is drinking bottled water and not very healthy at all especialy when it sits in the sun or hot wherehouse for months. the plastic is posion!
Interesting what you said about the taste in Egypt, and I was surprised to see you chill your glencarin glass there. I began my whisky journey with Jim Murray and have been allowing whisky to warm in the palm of my hand for as long as i can remember, do you find some whisky better warm and some cold?
Great vid Ralfy, thanks. After 30 years of “how can you drink that stuff?” my wife (converted by a girlfriend who likes scotch) is finally a whisky lover and your vlogs are the only shows we watch. What do you think of boiling, we use very little water but when we do we boil it to get rid of chlorine and let cool. BTW Mind that dalek; been sneaking up for quite some time and I think he’s about ready to pounce. My malt mention is from my kids, Malt Muggles. Muggles are non magic folk like us.
Dear sir, I enjoy single malt very much. But it's an expensive habit. How can I stop thrashing the stuff as soon as I get a bottle. I'm not an alcoholic, seriously, but I'm finishing a bottle in three or four evenings. This is bad. Please help!
By the way: Why do we want whisky at cask strength or at least 46 percent if we are going to dilute it to 25-30 percent ab? I understand but i think it needs an explanation.
As a retired plumber, the average citizen is not getting all the information about tap water. As the San Francisco health inspector told me, the quality of tap water is political. I'd go into detail with that conversation, but there's not enough room. in these responses. Add to that, as a plumber, I know that with plumbing inspectors some are crooked, some ain't. The reality is, proper backflow preventers are more expensive than the ol' timey backflow preventers.
Certainly, fluoride shouldn't be added to water because of it being toxic. Still, it actually is good for your teeth by making them more resistant to acids! But again, we get quite enough of it by simply eating healthy stuff.
Yeah, pseudoscience gets tiring on these kinds of subjects. I live in a hippie-ish area where fluoride is a massively controversial topic, with lobbyists trying to get it removed as though it's a big deal.
Moet Hennessy owns Ardbeg but please take note the importer is just an importer. Ardbeg should taste the same no matter the side of the Atlantic you are sipping it from.
ahaha, sorry if i missed that. i'm young i work in the night club circuit in the greater toronto area and clubs are really bad for that, it is also very illegal as well.
Hi Ralfy. You are right about fluoride. Since i start to use fluoride-free tootpaste (about 2 years ago) i dont have any problem with my teeth, and all my family have this same expierance!!!!! My denstist is in a deep shock.... ;)
