Rachael Davis
It’s unclear at what age it happens but, at some stage between stealing spirits that you reckon your dad won’t miss and drawing your pension, you might just get into whisky.
There’s no end of varieties and distillers to knock back, with tasting whisky being an artform in and of itself. It starts with breathing in deeply through your nose before taking a sip, and it can soon progress to pipetting a couple of drops of water into a shot of it to open up the flavours.
Before you know it, you’ll be hauling a loved one around a distillery tour.
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But if you’re not at that stage yet, or you somehow miss it en route to middle age, you may well see whisky just as a mixer.
High alcohol volume and versatility – in that it will pair well with Coca-Cola or Sprite – makes it a commonly mixed spirit in pubs and student unions up and down the country,
One person posted a story on Reddit’s ‘Am I the A**hole’ forum to share their own domestic disagreement over how to treat a dram of scotch, and it’s got many a whisky fan up in arms.
The user said their boyfriend had bought them a £70 bottle of whisky for their birthday, but he wasn’t happy when the recipient served it with a hearty splash of Coca-Cola.
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The boyfriend was “insulted” by the mixed drink, saying his partner “could have got [them] whisky for cheap to put with coke”.
“I understand but I also feel that whisky and coke is a common drink and I will drink it without – it is a genuinely lovely whisky,” said the post.
“I think I might be the asshole because I didn’t treat the whisky as an expensive one, however I can see why people would drink coke with it.”
The boyfriend won a fair amount of support, with some saying “a part of my soul died” whilst reading the story.
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“Some whisky is meant for straight drinking,” agreed one user. “Coke is for cheap stuff. That said, your boyfriend gave you a gift and he doesn't get to dictate how you enjoy it.”
Someone else said: “You're the one consuming it, enjoy it however you like.”
With the politics of presents to one side, many “agree with mixing cheap soda and expensive whisky”.
It’s a topic of fierce debate, of course. Reddit’s ‘changemyview’ thread featured a user saying, “It should be okay to add cola to expensive whiskies.
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“People get shamed when they mix cola with expensive whiskeys and drink. Some people take it as an offence.
"I think it is unfair to be so outraged at this. It should be okay to mix cola with expensive whiskies.”
One thing is clear: it's likely to stir debate whatever your preference.