Adding Water: A must for all rums...

It's tea time ladies, grab yer mugs! Drink it fast or sip it slow. About glasses, how ta crook yer pinkie, nosing and tasting techniques and equipment. May your cup - and your women - be bottomless!
Post Reply
User avatar
Capn Jimbo
Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
Contact:

Adding Water: A must for all rums...

Post by Capn Jimbo »

I'm sick of the paucity and narrowness of so-called rum review sites...

Don't get me wrong. There certainly are a few good rum reviewers, but let's face it most are not. We get flummoxed up scoring schemes, and a propensity for overrating rums. Look, when it comes to paying more attention to how the bottle looks we're in trouble. Most reviewers see the review as a chance to show off their vocabulary as listing of descriptors.

The same is not so for wine, and especially not so for whisky. The reasons for rum’s failure seem to be combination of its deservedly lower status due to widespread cheating, a lack of talent or commitment, and the sitemasters who depend on freebies and samples for their reviews. But I digress:

The addition of water - well known in the world of whisky - is either not a consideration, or is blatantly ignored. Some reviewers actually take pride in their ability to tolerate an overproof. Who has the hairiest balls? I was recently reminded of this when reading Ralfy's new book, Search for a Whisky Bothy. In it Ralfy - to whom I gratefully bow and defer - shares his own vast tasting experience which emphasizes two major notions.

First, that it's all about the casks - far more than has EVER been considered in the wacky world of rum, with nearly half of rums having been secretly altered. Much more about this in another post. And second - the great value of water in releasing flavors to barrel strength and even 80 proof spirits. Fortunately there are a few of us who understand that an overproof - think W&N - require mixing or watering.


For Ralfy, nearly all spirits need water...


Those of you who've viewed his videos have often seen him toss in what appears to be teaspoon of water. Mind you, he already knows the whisky and the particular amount of water it needs. Otherwise - this means us - he points out that every spirit has a sweet spot - he calls it the "bliss point" - where nose/smell and taste connect. He further points out that this is achieved by adding drops of water, certainly not a full teaspoon. Why is this? He makes clear it's far too easy to "overwater" a spirit, and that once you have, there's no going back: that dram is ruined and needs to be tossed (and not down your throat).

Now I get that a W&N overproof was never made for sipping in the first place, so perhaps a teaspoon or three might well be in order. But for nearly every other rum, Ralfy is right. It's NOT about reducing the proof - to the contrary it's about releasing flavor. Releasing flavor. Got it?


Releasing Flavor...


There are a number of theories as to why water releases flavors and aromas, but there is no disagreement that it does. One theory is that the water reduces the surface tension, and allows more of the aromas to escape. More accepted was a theory and study that found that alcohol "encapsulates" the aroma/flavor molecules - in this case the water reduces the bonding and "releases" the flavor/aroma molecules.

Nonetheless the proof of the pudding are the whisky blenders from Scotland, whose consensus strongly supports that the addition of water in small amounts, particularly with barrel strength bottlings, but really with all.


A Guide...


To begin, the quality of the water you add is important. If you have naturally soft water you’re in luck, but many areas have hard water that will surely alter your spirit. Better yet would be using a Brita water filter. Best? Distilled water.

1. A spirit should first be nosed and tasted as is, without added water.

2. If the spirit tastes light, then use a straw to add perhaps a half inch of water. If the spirit is normal or even robust, add an inch. Ralfy also often uses a partially filled teaspoon (NOT tablespoon, please).
Then a gentle – gentle swirl and wait a minute or two. Then a gentle rolling swirl, nose and taste.

3. Repeat and perhaps repeat again.

Keep in mind that if you overwater, there’s no going back. Your first run through should result in finding the sweet spot, Ralfy’s “bliss point”. Enjoy!


Example (Ian Wisniewski @ Scotchwisky.com):
https://scotchwhisky.com/magazine/featu ... to-whisky/
TASTING NOTES

Glenmorangie Original
Undiluted (50ml measure):
Elegant, fresh, lightly luscious, zesty lemon, grapefruit, hint of creaminess, with light sweetness emerging, together with hints of underlying oak and dryness.

With 5ml water:
Mellower, more integrated citrus notes, slightly more oak and sweetness, followed by greater dryness.

With 10ml water:
Top notes replaced by deeper notes, dryness and lightly luscious sweetness increase, with more oak and vanilla following.

With 15 ml water:
Integrated mellowness, equally balanced citrus, dark chocolate, oak and underlying dryness.

Laphroaig 10-year-old

Undiluted (50ml measure):
Smokiness and sweetness emerge, with barbecue notes, then vanilla, lemon, hints of sea salt, dryness and oak.

With 5ml water:
Mellow and more integrated, sweetness leads with vanilla, lemon and light creaminess, then lighter barbecue notes come through, with dry oak.

With 10ml water:
Mellower, integrated notes, light lemon and vanilla lead, barbecue notes follow, with dry oak and hints of sweetness at the edges, together with lemon zest and maltiness.

With 15ml water:
Even mellower and more integrated, sweetness balanced by dryness with light vanilla and barbecue notes, followed by toasty hints and lemon zest.
*********

Capn’s Notes: the addition of water that is so common for fine whisky is largely absent in the wacky world of rum. This has not changed in 15 years, except for a few. The careful addition of water should result in the release of more, and more complex noses and tastes. The rum will seem mellower, more integrated, deeper and sweeter and simply more complex and enjoyable. If you don’t do this with every rum you own you are missing out on what you have paid for. Good luck!
Post Reply