The Absolute Best Way To Clean Your Whiskey Stones

Apart from chilling your drink without diluting it, the best thing about whiskey stones is that they are reusable. Instead of stacking trays and waiting for ice to freeze, you can just have a bag of whiskey stones in the freezer, ready to go whenever you are. If you take good care of them, whiskey stones can last for years. In particular, you must remember to clean them after they've spent the evening cooling drinks. While they're hardy enough to wash in a dishwasher if loaded correctly, whiskey stones are best cleaned by hand and dried before they are cooled again. Considering these stones are meant to only chill your drink without modifying it in any other way, you don't want an unclean whiskey stone to impart leftover flavors and aromas to your Scotch on the rocks from previous drink.

Whiskey stones, as the name suggests, are particularly suited to whiskey and similar brown liquors which have to be minimally and very carefully diluted in order to enjoy them at their best. The co-founders of Lodestar Whiskey, Anna Axster and Wendelin von Schroder, know a thing or two about enjoying whiskey to the fullest. We got their take on whiskey stones and how best to keep them fresh for the next time you're sipping on a dram. The first thing: don't put off cleaning the stones and wash them right after you're done.

It's important to clean whiskey stones soon after using them and before you start chilling them for the next time. "If you're gonna use 'em, rinsing with warm water and letting the stones air dry before re-freezing is what you'll want to do," says Wendelin von Schroder. Remember also that if you try to wash the stones after they've been chilled, they will rapidly lose their cold temperature, especially if you wash them with warm water.

When cooling whiskey stones after they're washed and dry, make sure you store them in an airtight container so they don't pick up smells from anything else in the freezer, as these could transfer to your drink. It's a good idea to give them a little sniff test before freezing to ensure there are no odors left over from the previous drink they were in. Cocktails made with sugar or infused syrups tend to leave slightly sticky residue and sugars that you should scrub off with a clean kitchen towel while washing the whiskey stones. If you've used them to cool fat washed cocktails, which can have particularly deep flavors, use a little bit of dishwashing soap to ensure the whiskey stones have no residual smells. In general, it's a good idea to reserve some whiskey stones exclusively for whiskies, especially if you tend to drink your favorite ones on the rocks.