The stone whiskey cubes are from the past, these are clearly from The FUTURE!!!!!!

The best part of this type of product is how awesome they make your whiskey look. With that said, the whiskey stones look much cooler...unless you live in Tron.

I don't always drink Whiskey.... but when I do, I prefer to use TopShelfLiving Whiskey Cubes

No, RALPHIE! Don't put your tongue on it!

zollars23 wrote:The stone whiskey cubes are from the past, these are clearly from The FUTURE!!!!!!

I can confirm this

Seriously though, how the heck do these compare to the whisky stones I picked up last year for 3 dollars from woot? I'm getting half the quantity for 7 times the price.

Woot! finally ran out of leftover quarry stones from those speakers-that-look-like rocks and had to upgrade to leftover scraps from the Woot! logo pans.

So, trying to find out more info on these, this is what I've found:

Looking for Top Shelf Living showed that they have wine drops (stainless steel balls for wine) and whiskey stones. Then, I checked the name under the warranty info, SPARQ:

http://store.sparqhome.com/products/Details.aspx?p=890&c=83&g=all

Link to the item

And, then I had to know how they worked, and found this on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Ice-Cubes-Tray/dp/B0083RBXOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362205091&sr=8-1&keywords=stainless+steel+drink+cubes

Apparently the ones on Amazon have a non-toxic gel sealed inside...interesting.

And, it looks like they will keep drinks cool up to 45 minutes.

And, hey they look very cool too!

Whiskey wants ice:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/whiskey-stones-balls_n_2506760.html

hmmm, worth getting if you already have a few sets of whisky stone?

mm20 wrote:Whiskey wants ice:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/whiskey-stones-balls_n_2506760.html

Huff post is wrong, and not for the first time. If whiskey needs anything, it is a very small controlled bit of liquid water. Adding ice is wrong. The amount of melting changes over time and temperature. If you absolutely must chill your whiskey, simply use a heavy bottomed glass that has been stored in the freezer. It chills the whisky while not diluting it. Of course, chilling your whisky is pretty much admitting you are a little girly-man ... but that is a separate issue :P

These will work quite a bit better than the whiskey stones. The steel pulls more heat from the drink, and the gel inside helps provide the phase change from solid to liquid which creates a lot of the cooling effect. Will these make your drinks ice cold like regular ice cubes? No. They will chill quite a bit better than the stones, however. I'm out simply because I don't want to be dropping steel into my crystal rocks glasses and start scratching them. If you are looking for "ice cold" results with minimal watering down of your drink, I recommend large ball ice cubes (created in silicon ice trays.) IMHO. Cheers!

CowboyDann wrote:I can confirm this

Seriously though, how the heck do these compare to the whisky stones I picked up last year for 3 dollars from woot? I'm getting half the quantity for 7 times the price.

Cold whisk(e)y is nasty. It should be drank neat, with a tiny bit of water, if desired.

Dear Woot,

srsly? Am I missing something or is Amazon selling the same thing for $2 cheaper (and with free shipping for Prime members)?

See http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Ice-Cubes-Tray/dp/B0083RBXOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362205091&sr=8-1&keywords=stainless+steel+drink+cubes.

Plus Amazon has no restriction on how many I can order. I know you're not Amazon, but it feels a bit offending.

...

torturegarden wrote:Cold whisk(e)y is nasty. It should be drank neat, with a tiny bit of water, if desired.

dent42 wrote:Huff post is wrong, and not for the first time. If whiskey needs anything, it is a very small controlled bit of liquid water. Adding ice is wrong. The amount of melting changes over time and temperature. If you absolutely must chill your whiskey, simply use a heavy bottomed glass that has been stored in the freezer. It chills the whisky while not diluting it. Of course, chilling your whisky is pretty much admitting you are a little girly-man ... but that is a separate issue :P

Please stop telling fellow wooters how to enjoy a drink.

It's great that you know how to appreciate whiskey, but just a reminder... this is a forum for a product used to chill whiskey.

Growing up in the swamps making hooch, I've learned to toss it back faster than Britney Spears taking her clothes off for a record deal.

I wonder if these space age new fandangles would break any of my remaining teeth though.

Why would anyone add water to perfectly good whiskey? Mind you, I have no problems diluting -bad- whiskey with water or 7-Up, but good whiskey? Verboten!

That said, good whiskey should be enjoyed above chilled temperatures to allow the nose to fully develop. If you want it cooler than room temperature, just store it in your pantry, basement, or root cellar. Problem solved.

By adding a splash of water, flavors and aromas that might be missed in higher proof whiskeys begin to emerge and the burn of the alcohol becomes less noticeable..

Water isn't bad, I just don't think normal ice cubes is the way to go.

But I am also not willing to pay $25 for 4 cubes lol :D Especially when Amazon has them for $18 Free Shipping w/ Prime

I prefer my quality bourbons at room temperature so that the expensive and subtle desirable taste components are more volatile and easier to taste/smell. When I drink cheap, cold is better to suppress off tastes. Addition of water depends on the brand.

or $20 for 6 + Tongs + Tray:


http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Rocks-Silver-Edition-Stainless/dp/B00BDOJHSI/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1362227793&sr=1-10&keywords=Stainless+Steel+Whiskey+stones

Wouldn't a cube of solid aluminum alloy work better for heat transfer purposes?

Plus no leaks with solid metal.

Or would that make it taste like it came out of a can?

I will wait for the titanium version. I hear they float.

Hate to sound like a troll, but these truly are a sucker's buy. 2 reasons. One is that ice is usually a lot cheaper. A LOT. 2, and the MAIN reason, is that any actual whiskey aficionado will tell you that the ONLY way to get the real, full, best flavour out of a whiskey (especially Kentucky and Scotch) is with a slow introduction of water. Pouring water is too fast. Melting ice is the prefered method. So go ahead and spend $25 after s/h on something that most grown adults truly do scoff at. Monocle and all.

ThunderThighs wrote:We just didn't know if we could keep getting away with selling rocks... with a warranty.

I don't know why not! For those of you that are youngsters out there, a gentleman became a millionaire virtually overnight by selling the pet rock at Christmas.

This might sound weird, but I have a set of these and I don't use them for whiskey - I use them for beer and wine that I want to have stay cold but don't want to add ice to.

These are not a discount..same price all over the internet. Also aluminum has twice the specific heat of stainless and is cheaper..why doesn't someone just make those already. Contrary to popular belief, dietary aluminum is not linked to alzheimers..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/1296988/

All that said, agree with ^whiskey wants ice

dent42 wrote:Huff post is wrong, and not for the first time. If whiskey needs anything, it is a very small controlled bit of liquid water. Adding ice is wrong. The amount of melting changes over time and temperature. If you absolutely must chill your whiskey, simply use a heavy bottomed glass that has been stored in the freezer. It chills the whisky while not diluting it. Of course, chilling your whisky is pretty much admitting you are a little girly-man ... but that is a separate issue :P

You are incorrect. I sell whiskey/whisky for a living. The correct way to drink whisky is however you want to drink it. You've paid for it, you can do whatever you like with it. A finger of water, a single cube, stones, neat, bottle in the freezer, mixed with soda, in a Manhattan, it doesn't matter. Drink it however you like it. Period.

pukeboy wrote:Wouldn't a cube of solid aluminum alloy work better for heat transfer purposes?

Plus no leaks with solid metal.

Or would that make it taste like it came out of a can?

Actually, that's not at all the issue. Metal has a very low specific heat. A block of metal would very quickly change temperature to match the temp. of the drink, and then be completely useless. For this, you want exactly the opposite; a material that has a high specific heat, presumably like the gel that's sealed inside these. That means that it takes more energy to change the temperature of the cube, and therefore your drink will be cold longer.

Was it wrong of me to hope it was a Hinkle and Miller post when I saw the item for sale? Yes, yes it probably was.

/lament

zuiquan wrote:You are incorrect. I sell whiskey/whisky for a living. The correct way to drink whisky is however you want to drink it. You've paid for it, you can do whatever you like with it. A finger of water, a single cube, stones, neat, bottle in the freezer, mixed with soda, in a Manhattan, it doesn't matter. Drink it however you like it. Period.

Amen!

torturegarden wrote:Cold whisk(e)y is nasty. It should be drank neat, with a tiny bit of water, if desired.

Totally agreed.

Whiskey is best with room temp. Never a cold drink ,unless you mix it with other beverages.

However, cognac is superb when chill without ice . Ice would knock the flavor out after a few minutes.
I always keep my cognac RM VSOP in the freezer ,that's right ,the freezer ,it'll never froze up . When you are in need for a couple quick shots ,it'll slides down your throat with incredible stimulation ,you can even taste the grape flavor.

So, How effective are these as a choking hazard?

voltylicious wrote:Dear Woot,

srsly? Am I missing something or is Amazon selling the same thing for $2 cheaper (and with free shipping for Prime members)?

See http://www.amazon.com/Stainless-Steel-Ice-Cubes-Tray/dp/B0083RBXOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362205091&sr=8-1&keywords=stainless+steel+drink+cubes.

Plus Amazon has no restriction on how many I can order. I know you're not Amazon, but it feels a bit offending.

...

Actually, isn't Amazon Woot's parent company?

Thanks for the input everyone, still debating whether or not I should pull the trigger

I refer a dash of water from that tank atop the hotel in LA where the body was dumped. Make for a "stiff drink."

These look great, but the stones are much more versatile. I'm "that" mom that heats the stones and puts them in my kids lunch to keep it warm. Or tosses a few cold ones to keep milk cold.

I use the leftover cold ones for myself at the end of the day

phonedog365 wrote:Why would anyone add water to perfectly good whiskey?

That depends. Some whisky doesn't need it, since the distillers have already added the water for you during bottling. Other whisky is bottled at "cask strength" and it is expected that the consumer will add a bit of water on his own.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cask_strength

Whisky at the 110-120 proof range really is a bit much; adding some water will bring the alcohol levels down and allow you to enjoy more of the flavors.

radi0j0hn wrote:I refer a dash of water from that tank atop the hotel in LA where the body was dumped. Make for a "stiff drink."

Bad taste, my photo-expert friend:



(pun intended)