How to Drink Whiskey Neat
Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat: When learning how to drink whiskey and enjoy its nuances, there's no right or wrong way. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’ve been told to swirl my glass, nose it in a circle like a clock, not add water, definitely add water, and even spit my first sip on the floor. The reality is the best whiskey should be enjoyed any way you please and, fortunately, there are plenty of brands, distilleries, and varieties (e.g. Japanese whisky, rye whiskey, Scotch, and bourbon) to sample. The one thing we will recommend is trying whiskey neat.
If whiskey cocktails are your gateway to enjoying whiskey neat, totally OK.
“Drinking whiskey should satisfy one’s personal whims and delights,” says Chris Sweeney, proprietor of Spaghetti Western Imports. “As a general rule, though, it’s useful to drink whiskey neat in its unadulterated state. How else will you know where to arrive if you don’t know where you've begun?”
Related: Best Cheap Whiskey of 2024 for a Great Bottle on a Budget
Whiskey Neat Meaning
First things first: What is a neat whiskey? Ordering whiskey neat simply means you enjoy it as-is—straight from the bottle in a glass with no ice, water, or mixers. Anyone who's seen a classic Hollywood film noir or a 1940s Western probably has the romanticized image of someone sidling up to a bar and ordering whiskey neat. The bartender bangs down a glass, pours a couple ounces, and the patron slams it back. Sure, that’s one way to do it, but sipping whiskey neat is much more enjoyable than throwing a shot down your throat.
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What Does It Mean to Take Your Whiskey Neat Versus on the Rocks?
Now that we've covered whiskey neat meaning, let's move on to "on the rocks."
That means you're adding ice to your whiskey. This can be a handful of smaller cubes or one large ice block or sphere. Many whiskey drinkers prefer the latter because the larger surface area means the ice melts slowly and the dilution doesn’t happen as fast.
Some people prefer to add a few drops of water to whiskey instead to open up the palate (many Scotch whisky distillers advise this), and it’s also a way of deliberately and precisely proofing down a whiskey to your preferred level.
“I always say that water opens a whiskey up and ice shuts it down,” says Mike Vacheresse, owner of Travel Bar Brooklyn, where you’ll find one of the very best collections in New York City. “This is not to say that I never have whiskey on the rocks, but only after I know the whiskey and when I'm hanging out socially with friends, not sitting down to taste.”
Rather than ordering whiskey with water, which can leave you with too much or too little, ask for a "water back." The bartender will give you a separate glass of water so you can add a few drops to the glass yourself.
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Neat Whiskey Versus ‘Up’?
If you grab a seat at your neighborhood bar and order a whiskey “up” instead of neat, don’t be too embarrassed, it’s a common mistake. Here’s the difference. “Up” refers to a cocktail that's been shaken or stirred over ice to dilute and cool it before pouring into a glass that has no ice. Think classic cocktails like a martini, Manhattan, or Last Word—all cocktails that are traditionally served "up."
So just remember: neat applies to a pour of whiskey, and "up" is for a cocktail made with that whiskey that you don’t want to further dilute with ice.
Related: We've Tried Thousands of Whiskeys. These 18 Bottles Are Great for Gifting
When Should You Order Whiskey Neat?
The best answer is whenever you damn well feel like it! But generally speaking, you should order your whiskey neat when you really want to get to know a particular brand, bottle, or distillery. As mentioned, neat whiskey is whiskey without any bells, whistle, frills, lipstick, or whatever idiom you prefer. If there’s a whiskey you’ve always wanted to try and you see it available at a bar, go ahead and order it neat. And don’t be shy about ordering some water or ice on the side in case you decide to soften the blow after a few sips.
What’s the Best Whiskey to Drink Neat?
This all comes down to personal preference.
“Every whiskey I taste, I first taste neat,” says Vacheresse. “Yes, I've tasted whiskeys that are over 150 proof neat—this is part of learning about the spirit.” Of course, you don’t have to start with a whiskey that strong, because there are plenty of good options that fall between the minimum 80 proof and 90 or 100 proof.
Sweeney says if you’re tasting a whiskey below 100 proof, you can take what he calls a more hands-off approach. “In these instances, the proof is sitting where the bottler/producer thinks it should be,” he says.
A lower proof whiskey might be an easier experience to sip neat, but a barrel-proof banger of a bourbon neat might open up a whole new world of whiskey fandom for you. I can speak from personal experience. I had the pleasure (if that’s the right word) of sipping a 168-proof (translation: 84 percent ABV!) whisky neat at a distillery warehouse in Canada, and it was…actually pretty good. Okay, it was way too strong, but the chance to try it neat in its purest, most face-melting form was worth it.
As far as whiskey categories, they can and should all be tried neat. There are a few exceptions, of course, but generally speaking whiskey is distilled and aged with the intention that you should be able to sip it neat. Whether or not you choose to do so is up to you, but it’s definitely worth at least starting your whiskey journey with a neat sip or two—or go ahead and finish the glass if you want. “Trust your tongue and leave some room for trial and error,” says Sweeney. “After all, de gustibus non est disputandum—there's no accounting for taste. Enjoy whiskey on your terms.”
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