What Are Whiskey Stones and Are They Useful?

whiskey stones

No matter how you decide to serve your whiskey, whiskey stones can be a useful tool for sustaining a great drinking temperature for your dram. In the whiskey world, however, they are a controversial accessory for whiskey drinkers, with a fairly decisive split between those who love them and those who hate the stones! In this article, we take a look at what they are, how they are used and if they are beneficial for your whiskey.

What Are Whiskey Stones?

Whiskey stones are cubes made from solid soapstone that can be placed in a glass of whiskey to help keep it chilled. To be used for chilling whiskey, the stones should be placed in the freezer for a few hours beforehand. Placing a couple of stones in the glass should then keep the whiskey chilled to a consistent temperature for hours!

Why Are Whiskey Stones Used?

How people serve whiskey is often down to personal preferences. Some enjoy it best with a splash of water, while others will argue that diluting your dram is spoiling the taste of your luxurious whiskey. Many whiskey lovers like their drink served on the rocks, with a cool piece of ice chilling the whiskey to create a more refreshing sip. However, as the ice melts, the whiskey will become increasingly diluted, altering the flavours of each sip. To avoid this, some people use whiskey stones to help keep their whiskey chilled without changing the impact of the whiskey. Unlike ice, whiskey stones are tasteless, odourless and won’t melt, so they should be able to keep the whiskey cool without impacting on its taste at all.

Are Whisky Stones Better Than Ice?

Again, this is largely down to personal preferences, but there are a number of arguments for and against whiskey stones when comparing it to ice. While whiskey stones don’t melt, which is seen as a plus by many, melting ice does help to cool down a drink far quicker than a whiskey stone will. Watering down some whiskies can also be a good thing, as reducing the burn of higher-proof alcohols can allow you to taste some of the subtleties in the whiskey’s flavour.

Some also argue that whiskey stones are fairly useless for true lovers of whiskey. These people are likely to enjoy their whiskey neat, with a splash of water, on the rocks or mixed into another beverage and therefore, there are few situations in which such an accessory would be needed. This is due to the fact that many people who drink their dram neat do so as they enjoy the heat of the alcohol, while those who want a cooler sip prefer their whiskey watered down a little. There will, therefore, be fewer people looking to drink their whiskey at a cooler temperature but a higher alcohol intensity.

How do you like your whiskey served? Let us know your thoughts on whiskey stones by leaving a comment below or get in touch via our social media channels! Regardless of how you drink your dram, ensure your drinks cabinet is fully stocked with incredible liquors by checking out our impressive range of whiskey, including Scotch whisky and Japanese whisky in the UK!

Image Credit: Your Best Digs

Leave a Reply

Subscribe To Our Newsletters!

Please wait...