Whiskey Disks vs Whisky Stones

Awhile back Debi had given me a set of Whisky Stones from Terofoma.

I used them a few times and thought they were neat.  They didn’t chill my drinks as much as ice, but they take the edge off without diluting the alcohol.  They were unusual and an interesting conversation piece, although I wondered if there was a competitive product and was this “Best of breed”.  This lead me to Whiskey Disks and this review/competition.

Whisky Stones are shipped in a plain white muslin bag and come as a set of 9 stones.  The stones themselves are Vermont soapstone cubes with slightly rounded edges and blunted corners.

Meanwhile, Whiskey Disks come from New Hampshire’s White Mountains and are also made from soapstone.  Instead of cubes, the folks at Hammerstone chose to go with disks that are milled smooth.  There are 4 disks in each set and they come in black bag for storage.

For this test, I used Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut Bourbon and two German crystal tumblers.  For the purpose of full disclosure- these glasses do come from Hammerstone, but I do  not believe that it gives Whiskey Disks any unfair advantage….I just liked the set when I was buying the the disks.  Both the bourbon and glasses were stored at room temperature, in this case 74.6 degrees.

I used one Whiskey Disk and three Whisky Stones, covering each with 1.5oz of bourbon and taking an immediate reading with an   Acu-Rite digital thermometer.  Subsequent readings were at 1,3,5,7,10 and 15 minutes.  Great care was taken to not disturb the stones or stir the whiskey during the testing process.

Here were the findings -

As you can see, the results are fairly close.  Whisky Stones had a greater initial drop in temperature, but over time they seemed to lose their heat exchanging capacity.  Over a 15 minute time period, there was a 7.1 degree shift.

On the other hand, Whiskey Disks did a better job of maintaining the initial temperature change and only had 2.9 degree shift. 

I could have continued the test for a longer period, but I wanted this to be a realistic evaluation……ie, if you are nursing such a small portion for 15 minutes, you shouldn’t be drinking.

Factoring in the above data, here is my evaluation of the two products head to head.

Aesthetics and Practicality – Whisky Stones look like stone ice cubes, whereas Whiskey Disks maintain a low profile in the glass.  The problem with Whisky Stones is that they clank around a lot when drinking.  In contrast, Whiskey Disks conform nicely to the bottom of the glass and glides around the edges as you tip the glass.  Advantage Whisky Disks.

Data- I think the data above speaks for itself.  Advantage Whiskey Disks.

Price – In an attempt to not compare Apples to Orange, I went with a price comparison based upon number of drinks you can do with each set without reusing the stones.  Whiskey Disks retail for $24.99 for 4 disks.  That works out to 4 drinks at $6.25 each.  Whisky Stones retail at $20 for 9 stones, equivalent to 3 drinks at $6.67. Advantage Whiskey Disks.

I’m not a scientist, but there you have it.  Whiskey Disks wins in all categories.  While both are fine products and you couldn't go wrong with either….my endorsement goes to them.

I do give props to Whisky Stones for being “The Original”, however the stone masons at Hammerstone definitely deserve credit for improving the efficiency and aesthetic.

Congratulations to the folks at Whiskey Disks.