Discussion around the components of a given whiskey usually centers around two things: grain and barrels. But there are other important factors that contribute to a whiskey’s flavor profile. One of them is so obvious you might not even think about it—water.
Since it comes in at multiple steps in the whiskey-making process—and makes up a big percentage of a whiskey’s actual volume—there’s little doubt it has a tangible effect on what you taste in your favorite dram.
On a chemical level, when we talk about different sources of water, we’re largely talking about mineral content and pH. On a practical level, we’re talking about sources—whether water comes directly from a spring or river, or from a municipal source. Beyond that, the geology of an area plays an important role in what a distillery’s water source tastes like.
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While some claim that so-called Kentucky branch water is indispensible, to the point where you can buy a bottle so as not to contaminate your $150 Knob Creek 2001 with the filth that comes out of your tap, other major Kentucky distilleries—notably Brown-Forman—just use municipal water.
Scotch distillers mostly get their water from one of three sources: springs, lakes (excuse me—lochs), and rivers or streams (burns). Talisker and Balvenie use spring water, Ardbeg draws from from a loch, and Dalmore and Laphroaig use nearby rivers or burns. Laphroaig is so serious about their water source, the Kilbride stream, they once went to court to prevent a rival distillery from diverting it for their own use.
And naturally, some distillers look at water as a potential marketing gimmick. Alaska Distillery reportedly makes what has to be the only whiskey in the world made from literal icebergs, hand-harvested from Prince William Sound.
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