Should you freeze bourbon?

When drinking bourbon, a lot of people like their bourbon on the rocks to give it more of a chilled flavor, but many do not like the watering down effect that occurs if you take a while to drink it, or just are looking for a more convenient way to drink it. At first glance putting a bottle in the freezer so it's "ready to go" seems like the perfect solution... but is it? Let's find out!

While freezing bourbon is undeniably more convenient, it does not come without side effects. There are two main issues with freeing bourbon: Changing the nose and flavor profile.

When you store bourbon in the freezer it can dull the flavor profiles and hide the nose of the bourbon. So if you hunted for a bottle for a year and loved it on the rocks it may seem like it's lacking a lot of the character that you once loved after it gets out of the freezer. People often report that the bourbon will drink "hotter" and taste more like alcohol once frozen. As for the nose, this gets hidden once the bourbon is frozen. In my opinion, most of the taste we get in bourbon comes from the nose, or it at least greatly enhances the experience. Now if this is a bottle that is somewhat easy to find, or you plan on mixing it with coke, it probably doesn't matter, but if this is a bottle that you loved on the rocks I would think twice about sticking it in the freezer.

I would recommend taking the extra few steps to chill your whiskey with some ice cubes if you prefer it cold and you enjoyed it that way before. It protects the bourbon the best and will give the most consistent experience.

Do you have a favorite bourbon to drink on the rocks? Let me know about the world's best Whiskey rating app: NEAT: Whiskey Finder!.