Sunday, August 28, 2011

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.

vs

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 whiskeyBeam’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 -

Graph

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.

DisksI’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.

8 comments:

  1. It looks to me like the Stones did a better job of cooling and
    maintaining that temp than the disks did. Granted the disks look better and don't rattle in the glass.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The stone did a better job of initial cooling, but didn't maintain as well. I agree on the not rattling the glass though.

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  3. Interesting article. I usually do not use ice in my whiskey, but if I do not concerned about a little watering down
    Cheers

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  4. It is nice to see a real review and comparison page. Unlike other "review" posts it is obvious to see you actually own both products and cared enough to do an actual review. Thank you. I will now consider some whiskey discs to add to my collectionof stones..

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  5. I bought the disks after reading numerous reviews. Just a note that they do not fit into the standard Glencairn glasses! They are just a few millimetres too wide for the opening.

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  6. You did not point out fact that these guys basically (the discs) ripped off the idea in the first place from Whiskey Stones people who made the market in the first place..why don't you say some thing about that. Also your conclusions are flawed. Whiskey Stones give greater initial drop in temp....that is when you are actually drinking it....over time? Who cares...that is pretty irrelevant.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Please read my response to Anonymous here -

    http://smokesandbooze.blogspot.com/2012/09/poor-feedback-leads-to-investigation.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. My intent is to test many bottles of Makers 46 with disks against disks with Makers 46. Thats just how we roll in New River AZ. Ronnie C.

    ReplyDelete

 
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