Anyone who loves drinking their fair share of alcohol knows what whiskey is. If it was produced in the United States, it gets the extra E. If it was produced outside the U.S.A., then it goes by whisky. It’s impossible to miss its signature oaky flavor, especially when it’s diluted with water and paired with a Coke. You can enjoy it as it is too, and no one will judge you.
We’ve all seen vodka being stocked into freezers and being served a few hours later; the result is a cool and refreshing drink that’s almost as delicious as water. But has anyone ever seen people put bottles of whiskey in the freezer? We don’t think so. So if you’re wondering whether it’s possible or not, read on.
Is freezing whiskey even possible?
The reason behind why spirits don’t freeze when stored in commercial freezers can be pretty scientific. From what we’ve gathered, it’s all about their freezing points. By freezing points, it’s the temperature at which your liquid freezes. All liquids can freeze, but knowing what their freezing points are is the key.
The alcohol used in making whiskey and all the other drinks we know and love is ethanol. While water has a freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius, ethanol has a much lower freezing point at minus 114 degrees Celsius. In simpler terms, this means that ethanol takes much longer to freeze than just plain water.
Regular freezers are only meant to freeze water, not alcohol. So if you put a bottle of your favorite whiskey in your freezer in the hopes of it freezing, you’re only going to end up with a really cold drink.
The only way to successfully freeze a bottle of whiskey would be to put it in a freezer with a temperature that’s way below minus 114 degrees Celsius. We don’t even think appliance centers sell freezers that cold—so if you want to freeze some whiskey, ask someone from NASA to do it for you.
If I can’t freeze it, can I just put it in the freezer to make it really cold instead?
Technically speaking, you can put your whiskey in the freezer to make it really cold. You can, but should you? Trust us when we say that putting your favorite bottle of whiskey in your freezer is only going to mess up its taste.
If you’re wondering what really cold whiskey tastes like or if it tastes better than normal whiskey, the answer is no. There’s a science behind the way whiskey tastes at low temperatures, too. As the temperature decreases, your whiskey’s viscosity (or thickness) is also going to increase. When this happens, it simply means that your drink’s going to get thicker as it gets colder.
We know what you’re thinking—thicker and colder drinks should taste better, right? That principle doesn’t apply with whiskey. When it comes to whiskey, as the liquid gets colder and thicker, it often loses its taste. So all you’re ever going to get when you put whiskey in your freezer is a cold, bland drink that’s full of regrets.
Alcoholic drinks tend to turn into a gelatinous blob at lower temperatures. So if you ever find yourself hiking around a snowy mountain with a flask full of whiskey in hand, better expect some whiskey jelly.
Whiskey doesn’t work like vodka—it doesn’t taste better when it’s really cold. On the contrary, really cold whiskey tastes extremely muted. You’re going to lose all its lovely flavors and aromas; you’ll just ruin a perfectly good bottle of whiskey if you put it in the freezer.
So here’s a simple piece of advice coming from us—don’t put your whiskey in your freezer if you don’t want a bottle full of regrets. You’re not going to enjoy it, and your guests will most likely hate it too. You don’t need to try being fancy when it comes to whiskey, because it’s perfectly fine the way it is.
So what’s the best way to drink whiskey?
While there isn’t a ‘best’ way to drink whiskey, we’d recommend that you drink it any way you want as long as you can appreciate its unique flavor and aroma. So it doesn’t matter if you like diluting it with water, or pairing it with a Coke, or simply drinking it straight. Whiskey is whiskey, and we’re all given the freedom to drink it as we like.
If you ask us, there isn’t another drink that has the same feel as whiskey. You just can’t find the unique taste of oak that whiskey has in other drinks, which is precisely what makes it so unique. Whiskey isn’t just a drink you grab when you’re thirsty—it’s more than that. Whiskey is a special part of life.