Whiskey Disks – 2 out of 5 noses
Made from canadian soapstone, WhiskeyDisks are designed to slightly chill your whisk(e)y to 50 degrees(F) without watering it down or changing the flavor. According to everything I’ve ever read/seen/heard about whiskey, especially single malt Scotch, you should not put ice in your glass. Something about changing the molecular structure or somesuch. According to the WhiskeyDisk website, it’s all about staying above 45 degrees. Any lower and you start messing with the science nonsense. Now that science is involved, I am ready to tear into this Whisky Disks review!
As the WhiskeyDisks.com website states, “The natural oils in the wood leach into the distillate over time and contain a large part of the residual flavor profile that will mark that particular spirit. These oils, although dissolved in alcohol, will partially congeal or “close down” if the temperature of the liquor falls below a certain point. Temperature is important. A subtle chill can enhance the drinking experience; too much can destroy it. Storing fine liquor below 45°F, or adding large volumes of ice, can eliminate important flavor notes.”
Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch (5th ed.) states that a true whisk(e)y lover neither puts his whisk(e)y in the fridge or puts ice in his glass. Of course, it all comes down to a matter of opinion, but it is hard to argue with the Whiskey Disks scientific backing.
If I’m drinking Tennessee whiskey, I’ll put two cubes of ice in the glass. Irish Whiskey, again, a couple of cubes. Scotch never gets ice, maybe a splash of water, but never ice. Canadian whiskey…gets Coke (sorry Canada).
For this test I wanted to use two different whiskies so I used Collier and McKeel, Tennessee Whiskey and a new scotch I just received, Lismore Single Malt (review coming soon). Unfortunately, neither pour got below 61 degrees. According to Jesse at WhiskeyDisks, the idea is to be between 50 and 60 degrees…simply cooling the whiskey. The box, however, reads 50 degrees. I would love to see that changed to “between 50 and 60 degrees.”
Jesse and I exchanged a couple of emails about the specifics such as freezer temp being as close to zero as possible. My freezer is set to 8 of 9 and everything in it is frozen solid but, unfortunately, I never got a good thermometer reading on the freezer temp. I also gave a disc to a friend to try, just to make sure I wasn’t somehow screwing this up, and he was equally unimpressed with the temperature that his single malt reached. We did both agree that the stone turns a very cool color while soaking in the whiskey.This product is a fantastic idea. I’d love to chill my whiskey – but not below the 45 degree threshold. However, taking it from room temperature to slightly below room temperature just doesn’t make the grade.WhiskeyDisks gets 2 out of 5 noses. The packaging, the website, and the idea of the product are top notch. If the wording were changed or the product somehow improved (I’m not too sure how soapstone can be improved) the rating would have been a little higher.
Have you tried WhiskeyDisks and think I’m off my rocker? Do you agree? Just like to argue? Leave a comment below.
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I would give it a try, but at $24.00 bucks…
My new Whiskey Nose budget formula is $30(n)-$50 for products, n=noses.
I wonder if they increased the surface area (whiskey donut?)if it would work better.
I thought about the surface area too. I intend on trying the stone cubes with the idea that the increased surface area may work a little better.
Thanks for the comment!
Ernie,
I think the whiskey stones thing depends very much on your circumstances. Most Americans (like Jake, who wrote the piece you commented on) spend their hot, sweltering summer months in an air conditioned cocoon. If you spend the day out in the weather, as I have to living in Portugal, whiskey would be too warm to drink during the summer.
That’s where the stones ideally come in. I’m one of those people who thinks ice ruins any complexity a whiskey might have, so I almost never use it. The stones cool whiskey just enough to make it palatable on a hot summer day with no air con without ruining it.
However, if you have air con running all the time or like ice (or more to the point, like ice and water), there is almost no point to the things.
I think of them as over-hyped, but not useless.
My own take from The Whiskey Reviewer:
http://whiskeyreviewer.com/2012/07/whiskey-on-the-rocks-granite-ice-cubes-and-whiskey-stones/