But what happens when the Whisky in question has a proof that’s as strong as all those heated opinions being blown about?

When you buy a bottle of Whisky (or any Spirit for that matter) and the label reads “80 Proof,” it did not get that way by happenstance. Spirits are distilled at a very high proof, and then before they get bottled, the distillery adds water to reach whatever proof they want for their product, whether that’s 90, 86, 80 or any other alcohol content. By contrast, a “Cask Strength” Whisky is the rare exception where the Spirit is not being watered down at all following its time spent aging. Whatever comes out of the barrel goes right into the bottle, warts and all. This has led many Whisky enthusiasts to seek out such bottlings due to the purity of the expressions of these distilleries’ styles. But this doesn’t mean that to be a true Whisky adventurer you have to grin and bear it by drinking these drams straight while holding back coughs and sputters from the heat. Nor does it mean that these tipples have to be off-limits to the more cautious or inexperienced Whisky imbiber who might be intimidated by a drink with a proof of 120 (and sometimes higher).

A bottle of Cask Strength Whisky is not fire to be feared or conquered. Rather, it should be viewed as something warm and inviting. The answer all lies in the life-giving compound, H2O. Adding water is a good thing, my friends. A very good thing. It doesn’t just calm an overproof drink down to a reasonable ABV. The fact of the matter is that adding water alters the way a Whisky tastes. When water comes into contact with the alcohol, essential oils, esters, and other compounds that give Whisky its multifaceted flavor, there’s a reaction and new aromas and flavors are released, completely changing the way that you experience your beverage. Adding water to a Cask Strength Whisky isn’t just a good idea;, it’s good chemistry.

Next time you take a spin around the Spirits section at Beltramo’s, why not make a point of finding one of these Cask Strength Whiskies to see what they’re really all about.

Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch #40 Single Malt Scotch 60.0% ABV ($59.98)

• Neat: Aromas of sweet wood along with honey and toffee. On the tongue there is a sharp heat and astringency, with slight acidity, before the honey sweetness comes back into play along with fruit flavors and more woodiness.
• With Water: The honey scents and flavors are more intense, and there are notes of cooked cherries and apples. The Scotch tastes buttery and there are flavors of brown sugar, clove, and cocoa powder. The wood flavors are also much more gentle and cohesive.

Glenmorangie Astar Single Malt Scotch 57.1% ABV ($76.99)

• Neat: Notes of honey, molasses, peaches, and flavors of sharp fresh ginger and cinnamon. This Scotch is matured in American virgin oak casks which is quite noticeable when drinking it at full strength – it is quite woody and tannic, and there is a nutty quality with a lot of heat on the finish.
• With Water: The Astar gets completely friendly and now has a gentle creaminess and a more layered fruit profile including apples, pears, and peaches. The fruitiness is bold right off the start and then moves toward a dry woodiness. The spice flavors change a lot in the finish as well, with the ginger/cinnamon being replaced by clove and mint.

Springbank 12 Years Old Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch 55.3% ABV ($59.89)

• Neat: Cedar wood, raisin, fig, and notes of tobacco and peat smoke that both become more robust on the palate. Also flavors of brine and wood char.
• With Water: The nose is sweeter with scents of berries. The saltiness is more pronounced, and the peat takes on a captivating medicinality. The sweet/salty combo is even more impressive on the palate with the flavor of honey roasted nuts, and the Scotch takes on a more luscious mouthfeel. The medicinality comes through on the long finish which becomes earthy and powdery as it lingers.

Laphroaig 10 Years Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch 55.3% ABV ($74.99)

• Neat: This Scotch starts off quite sharply medicinal and smoky with chili pepper pungency as well as a bite of black pepper and some barbeque meatiness. There is a lot of peat here, people. The chili pepper is more abrasive on the tongue, while there is a hint of raspberry and vanilla, but this gets drowned out quickly by flavors of freshly dug soil, leather, and more medicinality.
• With Water: The nose is meatier and it has the aroma of hazelnut. The briny sea character comes out more boldly too, but remains in balance. The water brings out a lot of nuances from the peat: what seemed like mostly brash smoke and spice before has now become rich with flavors of dark chocolate, herbal tea, and root flavors. The Scotch takes on a liqueur-like character. The notes of leather and pepper spice are still here, but they are more subdued and you can still feel them tingling your cheeks well after the Whisky’s gone.

Those are all very interesting Whiskies, but they become absolutely enchanting with the addition of water. For each of these Scotches, water smoothed out the rough edges, but more importantly it added to the complexity of the drink by unlocking flavors and scents that were hidden before. Never did I feel the need to scorch my throat or suffer through a drink that was too abrasive for my liking. I sipped and added water back-and-forth in a bit of trial and error experimentation until I found a point that balanced both the strength of the alcohol content and the complexities of the flavor profiles. You can keep on adding water a few drops at a time until the Whisky is to your liking. The best part is, if at any point the addition of water begins to detract from the Whisky instead of improving it, all you have to do is add another splash of Whisky into your glass and you’ll get to back to that point of perfection.

Here’s a final little dirty secret: you don’t have to reserve this method for Cask Strength Whisky alone. No matter what anybody tells you about the “proper” way to drink Whisky, it’s a personal drink with an individualistic character. For myself, whenever I pick up a bottle of something new, I try it neat at room temperature first, next with a few drops of water, and then lastly with a couple cubes of ice so that they’ll melt and gradually change the amount of water in the glass. This way I can find out how each particular Whisky tastes best to me. Some I prefer neat, and others I prefer with water because it seems to truly elevate the Whisky to something exceptional. The best part is, there is no right or wrong answer. The way I drink one Whisky and the way you prefer it might be completely different. Every person, just like every Whisky, is different, and that’s a good thing. What’s really important is that we’re all having a glass of Whisky, wouldn’t you agree?

 Neal F., Beltramo’s Spirits Consultant

We happily got to sample drams from every corner of the globe. There were of course items from as near as the city of San Francisco itself, like the folks from Anchor Distilling. I also appreciated that Anchor brought some beers from the brewery side of their operation. Of course, we also got to sample much more exotic fare, like Single Malt Whiskies from Tasmania and India, all of varying styles, proofs, and levels of smoky peatiness and sherried sweetness. Hailing from the other side of the world, the Amrut Fusion($63.99) from India was particularly superior and strong-flavored. I had previously only tried the regular Amrut ($49.99)expression, so I was anxious to try the Peated($59.99), the Fusion, and the Intermediate Sherry ($99.00). The normal Amrut has a light body with a sweet and slightly phenolic tone and flavors that are simultaneously nutty and fruity. The Fusion, which uses a combination of malt from Scotland as well as India, really ups the ante with more bold peat flavors. It’s definitely got more oomph in the smoke department, but the surprise is that the fruity notes also increase their presence. This is a World Whisky to check out, especially for those who haven’t yet dared to venture beyond the Whiskies that Scotland and America have to offer.

On the home front, the American distilleries had a lot to show for themselves too. Rick and I spent some time over at the Bulleit Bourbon station. While Rick hobnobbed with his friend, Tom Bulleit, and daughter, Hollis Bulleit, I was busy checking out the Bulleit Rye Whisky ($23.99) which has been a regular favorite of mine since its premier not too long ago. With 95% rye content in the mashbill and 90 proof strength, it has all that snappy spice and floral character that I want in a Rye. It’s great for cocktails or drinking neat, and the pourers at the Bulliet station were serving it up every which way.

Another great place to sip and sample was the table for High West Distillery out of Park City, Utah. It’s true, they make fantastic hooch in the state of Utah now, and High West keeps expanding their already strong lineup. Already well-versed in most of the High West products, the draws for Rick and I on this night were the two White Whiskeys they had on offer. They have some New Make that they’re distilling from oat, and they also have a White Rye. Both products were so great that we just added them at Beltramo’s. The Western Oat Whiskey has a mashbill of 85% oat and 15% barley, resulting in a drink that’s viscous, supple, and has a clean sweetness. Their OMG Pure Rye Whiskey has a dramatically different profile: it’s big and floral in the nose with flavors of stone fruits and herbs, and it has a very long finish. Unaged Ryes might possibly be cutting a category all their own. At any rate, both these White Whiskeys proved to be of much higher caliber than most New Make out there on the market.

And the Scotch. Oh, the Scotch! We found some truly great drams. We popped by the table for the newly reopened Glenglassaugh Distillery where they doled out samples of Whiskies from the distillery’s past and future. They had their 26 year old ($249.00) and their 37 year old (two of the best Whiskies of the night, for sure) as well as their three Unaged Whiskies (the Clearac ($27.49), Fledgling ($27.49), and Peated ($27.49)) that you can’t technically call “Scotch” because they don’t meet the age requirement, but they’re still mighty interesting AND available at Beltramo’s.  They also unveiled the first true Single Malt from the distillery under its new operation, Glenglassaugh Revival. It still tasted young, so I’d like to see what this Scotch is like after a few more birthdays, but the Revival (much like their Unaged Whiskies) shows a lot of promise for the recently renovated distillery.

Rick and I found our way to the Classic Malts Selection table hosted by Diageo. They had a lot of the big names in Scotch, along with older expressions so that you could try Oban 14 ($59.98) alongside the 18 year old and the Distiller’s Edition ($99.99). This is where we found the Cragganmore 21 ($198.00). Rick called this little number “the belle of the ball.” While one might argue that this Cragganmore is far too robust to ever be referred to as a “belle,” it was undeniably fantastic and one of the best drinks we had at the Expo.

The boys at the Bruichladdich table were also great hosts and fun to talk to. Simon gave us the royal treatment as we sampled through the line, explaining everything from their production methods to the shape of their stills. We got to retry the Laddie Ten ($52.99), the Classic Laddie ($62.99), and the Bruichladdich Rocks ($39.99), and then we got to sip on a Bruichladdich Scotch that hasn’t yet made its way across the pond to America, the new batch of Bruichladdich Organic, which happened to be my favorite. Though from Islay, Bruichladdich proper is not peaty, not counting the Port Charlotte ($119.99) series and Octomore($134.99). Instead, the Scotch is salty-briny and acidic, making it literally a mouthwatering Whisky, and it has very elegant floral undertones tying everything together.

Kilchoman from Islay had a couple of its newer batches of Scotch at the Expo. From this younger distillery that regularly puts out vintage releases of their Whisky, we got to try the 2006 92 Proof release, their new Single Cask Sherry Finish 119.2 Proof, and their 100% Islay which is yet to be released stateside. I hope they send over another lot the 100% Islay soon because that was a real winner. And of course we had the unique chance to sample a number of rarities such as the Octomore Comus which is a peaty cask strength monster finished in Sauternes casks, while Rick from Glenlivet gave us a sneak of a rare vintage Nadurra 1991 that was stunning. 

Another real draw for me at any tasting like this is the opportunity to try the varying selections presented by independent bottlers. For those not in the know, independent bottlers go into distilleries and, after much sampling and consideration, buy single casks to age and finish as they see fit. For Whisky lovers, this is fun because it means you can find rare, one-off bottlings of Scotches from all manner of different distilleries. Independent bottlers, Mackillop’s Choice, were in attendance at the Expo this year pouring a fine array.

There were also several non-Whisky tastes to be had. For one of the best, we headed back to the Bruichladdich table where they had The Botanist Gin ($34.99). That’s right, they’re making Gin on Islay and it’s superb. It has an intense juniper flavor, first-rate supporting herbal notes, and a crisp, clean bite. This Gin just begs to be thrown into a Martini. My other favorite drink of the night that wasn’t a Whisky was St. George Spirit’s Absinthe Verte ($59.98). Perhaps better known for their hard-to-find Single Malt and the line of Hangar One Vodkas, this distillery makes everything from Eau de Vies to Liqueurs, and I was happy to get the chance to try their Absinthe Verte. Our bartender served Rick and me the beverage in a tiny glass with a single ice cube. We each watched and sipped as the water released into the Absinthe, turning the liquid from a clear lime-herb green into a swirling, foggy, opaque swamp color. It was so strong and so good. As a fan of the flavor of black licorice, I was very satisfied.

We finished the evening by going up onto the upper deck to have a couple cigars. The night was dark and beautiful, and you could hear the low sound of the yacht scraping against the moorings. Things were a bit blustery up on the fourth story on the waterfront like we were, but that didn’t detract from the atmosphere. We smoked while we talked about our favorite Spirits of the Expo, finally away from the din of the crowd down below. It was a solid tasting. There was just one unresolved question on our minds: where were we going to go now to find a nice refreshing beer…

Neal F., Beltramo’s Spirits Staff

The classic Johnnie Walker Black ($25.89) has hints of smokiness due to the use of Whiskies from several distilleries located on the Island of Islay, including Caol Ila and Lagavulin.  Double Black is Master Blender Jim Beveridge’s tweaking of Johnnie Black.  He blends peatier malts and malts aged in heavily charred oak barrels – the result being a smokier, blacker Whisky than the original. In the words of the Johnnie Walker people: “Simply put, it is Black, amplified”.

Aromatically, Double Black offers aromas of peat smoke, oak and dried fruits. Take a pull and notice more of that smoke, stone fruit notes, vanilla, caramel, and spice. Very easy to drink with a lush mouth feel and a dry finish. It’s somewhat heavy-handed on the oak, with lots of char but that’s the idea: it is, after all, called Double Black.

Johnnie Walker Double Black is certainly not intended for those that are devotees of peaty Islay Whisky, but it should appeal to fans of Johnnie Walker (collect them all), and I think it serves as great intro to anyone who wants to try a Whisky with some peat smoke cloaked in sweeter toastier barrel. After your Double Black, try Caol Ila 12yr ($49.79)  from Islay for your next step in our smoky, peaty program.

         Cheapest International flight from the Bay Area:  $444 to Mexico (Double Black not included)

         Johnnie Walker Double Black at Beltramos: $39.99 (free parking included)

Rick C., Beltramo’s Spirits Staff