Forget Drinking Scotch Whisky Neat — Why Mixers Aren't Off-Limits

Scotch whisky, more than any other spirit, is likely to end up in a glass all on its own. There is an unwritten rule that a dram of whisky ought to be taken room temperature and straight from the bottle, with perhaps a scant few drops of water added to soften the burn and reveal deeper complexity. While this practice gives a purer tasting experience for those who want to really explore an exceptional bottle, Scotch does also make an excellent cocktail. To debunk this common Scotch whisky myth — among others — Tasting Table's James Hastings, a former cocktail bartender, sat down with Annabel Thomas, founder and CEO of Nc'nean, a distillery on the west coast of Scotland.

"While many Scotch enthusiasts prefer their whisky neat," Thomas says, "there's no hard rule." This shows up at the Nc'nean distillery, where the brand's whiskies are mixed freely and well. The simplest of the cocktails served there is the Whisky Six, a Scotch and soda tipple featuring two parts Nc'nean to four parts soda water, with a sprig of mint to garnish the drink. Just like adding a splash of water to a glass of neat Scotch, Thomas explains that the soda softens and opens up the flavor of the whisky, increasing the perception of a wider array of flavor compounds. 

Even with a good bottle of Scotch, however, there is more to mixing than just opening up the spirit. "I can attest that there are plenty of superb Scotch-based cocktails out there that wouldn't exist if this particular myth had any truth behind it," adds Hastings. Sometimes it pays to lean into complementary flavors as well.

How you choose to mix your Scotch should take into account the particular spirit that you are working with. For a good bottle of single malt Scotch, you probably want to keep the mix simple, highlighting and complementing the spirit. A run-of-the-mill blended whisky, on the other hand, does not need (nor will it necessarily benefit from) that same treatment.

Starting with the simplest, we have blended Scotch. There are excellent options out there, but many are on the lower-priced and less-exceptional side of the spectrum. This does, however, make them perfect for strongly flavored cocktails like a Penicillin, with honey, lemon, and ginger; a Mamie Taylor, which is essentially a Scotch-based mule; or the Blood and Sand, named for a silent movie and made with cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth, and orange juice.

For a bottle of single malt, spirit-forward cocktails allow Scotch to really shine. Similar to the Whisky Six previously mentioned by Thomas, Hastings suggests a whisky highball as "a superb way to appreciate the flavors of Scotch in a more approachable fashion." Other slightly more complex options include classics like the Rob Roy, a three-ingredient cocktail that's basically a Scotch-based Manhattan, or even a Scotch Old Fashioned.

Finally, there's the peatier end of the whisky spectrum. Scotch with a powerful smoky aroma can hold its own against just about anything, lending an intriguing hint of peat to many drinks. The Smoky Cokey is an elevated whisky and coke, in which the peaty spirit finds a surprising complement in that classic cola. Or you can try slipping peaty single malt into a fruity drinks, as in this raspberry Scotch sour, where smoke intertwines itself with lemon, honey, and red berry flavors to create a beguilingly delicious melange of flavors.