Water has no flavor but it changes the flavor of whiskey so much and it doesn’t make sense
In: Chemistry
Ultimately what it comes down to is that flavor compounds in the whiskey will be perceived differently in your mouth & nose depending on the alcohol concentration of the drink. Certain flavor compounds, for instance, tend to be present more towards the surface of the liquid when the ethanol concentration is lower ([source](https://www.livescience.com/60158-why-whiskey-tastes-good-diluted.html)). At higher concentrations, those molecules tend to instead be “locked up” away from that air-liquid boundary, where they can’t evaporate and get into your nose. So a lower alcohol concentration can give you a richer sense of taste because the same molecules are more readily perceived.
However, most whiskey is sold already at or near these lower concentrations where flavor compounds can shine. So adding water is not going to do much for all whiskeys. And it’s not the *action* of adding water in the moment that does anything – it’s just the concentration that it achieves. If you want your whiskey at 40%, and it’s already sold at that concentration, then that’s no different (except maybe in price) from buying a bottle at 45% and watering it down.
Ultimately it’s not much more magical than the difference between e.g. drinking lemonade vs. drinking a lemonade syrup. The syrup is very concentrated and will taste overpoweringly of sugar. Diluting it with water brings out more subtle flavors to the drink. The chemistry is a bit different, but the principle is the same: stronger concentrations don’t always make for the most pleasant or identifiable flavor experience.
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