· Blenders International · Water Science
Does adding water make whisky feel thinner? Viscosity, warmth, and the texture of a diluted dram
Almost every tasting note treats "body" as though it were thickness, and almost every drinker who waters a cask-strength malt reports that it thins out. Both are misreadings of what is happening. Whisky is barely more viscous than water at any drinking strength, and the texture that disappears when you dilute is not viscosity at all — it is a heat receptor letting go, a class of esters coming out of solution, and, if you poured the wrong water, a mouthfeel the water brought with it.