Ice, water or neat?

Ice: if you’re more about temperature than temperament, add ice. Chilling and dilution from melting ice still vary the characteristics. If you favour chilled without water, add whisky stones from the freezer. Wash them and reuse. In general, whisky experts are anti-ice, claiming it bruises the nectar. Some concede that one ice cube is acceptable.

Balls: Japanese ice balls that is. Basically huge ice cubes, which cool your bevy but don’t dilute it. In Japan they’re often handcrafted but you can make them at home with a mould if you don’t have a Japanese ice sculptor on hand. Depending on size and meteorological conditions, ice balls can go on chilling through multiple refills.

Water: Experts reckon you only need a drop – just one. (It must be bottled spring water without bubbles as chlorine and fizz are definite no-nos.) By adding H2O you’ll release flavours missing in the undiluted tipple, instantly – without waiting for ice to melt and without chilling. Many whiskey aficionados believe water is the only way to go. One might add it to cask strength or barrel proof whiskeys because the maker hasn’t added water during the distillation process and they’re a lot stronger, like Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength (60 per cent ABV). A little diluting can take away the sting of super strong whiskies but as Dalmore’s master distiller Richard Patterson cautions, “Don’t add a lot of water or you will lose the heart of the whisky.” Neat: Some whiskeys are best enjoyed

au naturel. These usually have lower alcohol content. Forty per cent ABV is considered par on Whisky Course. According to John Hansell, Editor of

Whisky Advocate. “If you want to capture as many aromas and flavours as possible, try to understand that whisky expresses itself best at room temperature.”