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et’s face it, there is a certain preciousness about whisky. Speak to the wrong po–faced connoisseur and you’ll be lucky to get permission to add water. With the rise of the whisky cocktail, attitudes towards mixing whisky have been relaxing, but it’s a risky business. Don’t fret though, we’ve run the rule over a range of mixers to sort the draff from the drinkable. We put a bottle of Monkey Shoulder to work as it’s ‘the whisky that loves company’ – perhaps not all the company we keep.

Alcoholic ginger (left)

So much wasted potential. The George Best of whisky mixers. With whisky and ginger such comfortable bedfellows, surely using an alcoholic ginger beer could only cement the happy union. Apparently not. ‘Flat’, ‘no ginger kick’, ‘heartburn in a glass’, ‘smells like facewipes’ – were the kinder comments.

Irn Bru (right)

A vaunted hangover cure but does it work the night before the morning after? In short, no. This has the dubious distinction of being the least sophisticated offering in this rogues’ gallery of innappropriate mixers. Sweeter than cream soda, like a bad alcopop and barely leaving a trace of the whisky.

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Oak-aged Beer (left)

Why dirty two glasses? Well, it turns out, for good reason. The logic here was sound – a stout aged in whisky barrels with all those chocolate and coffee flavours from the wood should surely blend perfectly with the whisky. No such luck. The look of flat whisky and coke, too strong with a cloying texture and clashing flavours.

Prosecco (right)

Scottish cities have been happy homes for thriving Italian communities for decades, but this cross-cultural mix of grain and grape proved a divisive dram indeed. Some felt the whisky overpowered the wine and it was all too acidic. But others felt the wine lifted the whisky – a dram for warmer climes.

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Buckfast (left)

You might think Buckfast Tonic Wine has a bad enough reputation in parts of the UK without adding whisky to it. The wine cloaks the whisky at first but it’s warming from every angle. You can taste liquorice, mint humbug and cough sweets. Not one to be taken in large quantities – you can almost chew it.

Dr Pepper (right)

With a unique blend of 23 flavours, surely a few of them must go with whisky? The familiar look of a whisky and coke but a far more interesting flowery, medicinal flavour. Hints of cherry and almond, almost reminiscent of a Frangelico. What’s the worst that could happen to your whisky? Not Dr Pepper it turns out.

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Sunny D

On paper our worst crime against whisky. The 1990s ‘fruit’ phenomenon scored highly with our ‘expert’ panel. Definitely one for the summer, it kindled nostalgia for Opal Fruits and Skittles (and possibly drinking on park benches). The whisky’s acidity actually made the juice taste like authentic pure orange.

Vimto

Against all odds, a roaring success. Expectations were of a sickly sweet abomination. It’s obviously sweet – think trifle and marzipan – but there’s enough from the herbs and spices in Vimto’s century-old secret recipe to make it work. Hide the empties and squint and, for all the world, it could be cocktail hour.

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