NPR

Chemists Say You Should Add A Little Water To Your Whiskey. Here's Why

It's a common refrain from whiskey enthusiasts: Adding a few drops of water to a glass opens up the flavors of the drink. Chemists in Sweden provide a molecular explanation for why this works.
Single malt Scotch whisky, produced at the Auchentoshan Distillery near Glasgow, Scotland, could benefit from a little water, a new paper suggests. / ANDY BUCHANAN / Getty Images

Updated at 10:55 a.m. ET

It's a common refrain among whiskey enthusiasts: Add a few drops of water to a glass to open up the flavors and aroma of the drink.

For example, hard-liquor expert Alice Lascelles said in a demonstration for The Sunday Times that "if you're tasting with a master blender, they will always add some water at some stage."

But the science behind this claim has been murky. A couple of chemists in Sweden set out

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR4 min read
In A Decade Of Drug Overdoses, More Than 320,000 American Children Lost A Parent
New research documents how many children lost a parent to an opioid or other overdose in the period from 2011 to 2021. Bereaved children face elevated risks to their physical and emotional health.
NPR2 min readInternational Relations
Israeli Forces Take Control Of The Gaza Side Of The Rafah Crossing With Egypt
An Israeli tank brigade seized control Tuesday of the Gaza Strip side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, authorities said, as cease-fire negotiations with Hamas remain on a knife's edge.
NPR9 min readCrime & Violence
Students And Civil Rights Groups Blast Police Response To Campus Protests
Students say they suffered broken bones, concussions and other injuries from allegedly aggressive police action breaking up pro-Palestinian protests last week.

Related Books & Audiobooks