“Scotch on the rocks”. “To be, or not to be”. Both of these iconic phrases are deeply ingrained in our everyday lexicon, yet when combined within the proximity of tradition, the soapbox will surely be brought to the fore in many a bar or tavern, where toasting the old pastimes is just as important as the manner of one choosing how to savor the fine qualities of Scotch, along with maintaining socially acceptable etiquette in the process.

Just about everyone familiar with the “controversy” seems to possess their adamant views, oftentimes quite outspoken in their judgment, concerning the best way to enjoy Scotch. A significant quantity of these heated debates mostly involves the application of ice, or the pure lack of its necessity. The innocent preference of ice does indeed produce a rather chilling effect upon those who might view the practice as even a bit sacrilegious.

Most would readily subscribe to the notion that the inhabitants of Scotland, who not only revere the mere mention of the word, would therefore be the final arbiters of divine authority on not only the fine art of making Scotch, but on the the correct manner of serving it. But alas, even they remain a house divided.

Most qualified practitioners in the field of whisky production are usually found to approach the issue of ice within the politically correct framework of “no rules – anyway you like it”, irrespective of their own opinion on the matter. After many thousands of hours of diligent testing and dedicated research, the world’s leading founts of expert opinion have arrived at a significant discovery that can only be qualified as a marvel of scientific insight. Across the board, the studies have shown that when ice is added to a glass off Scotch, it invariably melts!

In laymen’s terms, should any be required, what this really means is that melting ice produces water, which rather obviously, and dare we say odiously, dilutes the Scotch, therefore altering the much sought after and altogether prized “character” of your drink with every subsequent sip. This would certainly also introduce unwanted chemicals and other unsavory minerals into the mix that interfere with the taste.

Elementary science and common sense dictates that water in a solid form of ice begs to reason that cleaner water produces cleaner ice. Naturally, by freezing water that you would prefer to drink, such as distilled, purified, natural spring or bottled, would essentially enhance the resulting concoction far better than anything using unfiltered tap water.

To those whose preference stands on the side of ice, the next refinement would therefore explore the physical properties of the “cube” as a means of conveying the desired temperature reduction. However, it is a fact that the more surface area contained within the ice in a drink, the faster it will melt, and thereby diluting the drink at a faster pace. So, with ice cubes, the larger the better, simply because there is less surface area held in one large cube than a few smaller ones. And, by the tenets of applied physics there is even less surface area if the shape of the ice is that of a sphere.

Utilizing this elemental truism, in order to chill a Scotch without diluting it, Scotch whiskey distillers The Macallan have masterminded the ingenious use of an ice ball maker. The apparatus creates a ball of ice uniquely sized to fit into an average tumbler. The spherical aspect retards the melting process, as well as less susceptibility to hand warmth, thus preserving the liquor’s taste quality while keeping it delectably cool.

In addition to being quite sensible, the apparatus is remarkable as an objet d'art on its own. Inspired by the Japanese skill of literally carving their ice balls by hand, the machine is comprised of two heavy copper plates that slowly press blocks of ice into perfectly spherical shapes, allowing pure physics to create these icy gems. This technology is currently the exclusive property of Macallan, makers of fine Scottish whiskeys, who maintain that if you must use ice, make it an ice ball, and hold the cubes.

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