There’s nothing quite like a smoky, single-malt whisky. Except for perhaps a smoky water?
A new “Oak Smoked Water” was made specifically for British chef, Heston Blumenthal. He needed an easier way to add a smoky flavor to the risotto at his Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, England, and enlisted the help of a couple, David and Alison Lea-Wilson. The couple owns a sea salt company, and while they had never tried to make a smoked water, they decided to give it a try, reports The Independent.
To make the smoked water they pushed filtered tap water through loops that were full of oak chips and oak dust. After ten days, the water that comes out is an amber color, and has “the cleanest of aromas of burning wood.”
It’s not quite how whisky is aged, but it’s a somewhat similar process. And it’s a ton more expensive. A 100ml bottle of the “Oak Smoked Water” runs £4.10 (approx. $5.40). In comparison, you can score the same amount of Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve Single Malt Scotch Whisky for just £3.14 ($4.15).
You don’t have to go to Blumenthal’s restaurant to try it out. The water is used in a number of different British food products, and you can just snag a bottle for yourself on the company’s website.