Like your whiskey with ice?
Join the club!
Whether you add an ice ball to your old fashioned or just like a few cubes to a glass of your favorite bourbon, ice can certainly enhance your drinking experience.
But it can just as easily worsen your experience if you aren’t careful.
Too much (or the wrong kind) of ice can completely water down your bourbon—making it taste like brown, alcoholic water.
And hey, maybe that’s what you want…who am I to judge?
But if you appreciate whiskey for its natural flavors, that ain’t what you’re looking for.
That’s why we created this guide to whiskey ice cubes.
You’re about to become a modern-day whiskey ice sculptor.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, we receive a small commission at no cost to you.
How to Make Ice for Whiskey: Clear Ice vs. Regular Ice (and Why That Matters)
The Clear Ice Revolution
This is about to be like chemistry class in high school, but since we’re talking about bourbon, I would assume you’re more interested. 🙂
The first thing to know about whiskey ice is that the ice from your ice maker isn’t good.
It’s filled with air bubbles and impurities that make it melt faster (which is why it looks cloudy).
There’s a more “pure” form of ice called clear ice that you can make that doesn’t have these bubbles or impurities.
And it melts much slower and is incredibly satisfying to look at.
Making clear ice isn’t a requirement for “properly” drinking whiskey, but it’s important to know what it is and how to make it.
Who knows, clear ice could make whiskey on ice even better.
How to Make Clear Ice for Whiskey
There are 3 options here for making clear ice for bourbon. Note that making 100% clear ice at home is close to impossible, but these methods will help make clearer ice.
Option 1: The Cooler Method
Take a standard insulated cooler (like one you’d take on a road trip) and fill it with water.
Put it in your freezer without the lid for 1-2 days.
The top will be clear since it’s the first part to freeze (the rest will be cloudy).
Then, simply transfer the ice to a cutting board and carefully cut your cubes.
Option 2: Boiled Water Method
Boil water, pour it (carefully) into a silicone ice mold, and put it in the freezer.
Then, remove your cubes and store any leftovers in a container to keep a stash on hand.
Option 3: Clear Ice Makers
There are a few different kinds of clear ice makers you can buy that make this process a lot easier.
They range from expensive counter-top machines that make the process a piece of cake like the Euhomy Ice Maker Machine ($279.99) to more affordable container/mold combos you put in your freezer like the Clear Ice Ball Maker ($69.99).
Click here to check out the Euhomy Ice Maker Machine.
Click here to check out the Clear Ice Ball Maker.
The Best Bourbon Ice Cube Molds You Can Buy
For most methods of making clear ice, you’ll have to have some sort of silicone mold or tray.
You’ll also have to decide whether you want ice cubes or ice spheres (the only difference is the literal shape).
Here are our top picks from Amazon in no particular order.
1. True Cubes Clear Ice Cube Tray ($45)
An Amazon Choice, this is a 4-cube tray that you simply fill with water and put in your freezer.
It is proven to purify water, removing 98% of TDS and metals.
2. OnTheRocks Crystal Clear Ice Cube Maker ($65)
Another Amazon Choice, this contraption makes 2-inch clear ice cubes.
Simply fill the water vessel with hot water, lower your desired mold (they are making new shapes), and feeze the container for ~24 hours.
3. glacio Large Sphere Ice Mold Tray ($16.99)
This simple silicone mold makes 2.5-inch ice balls and is one of the most affordable (but still quality) molds on this list.
Simply fill the mold with water through the holes at the top and pop it in the freezer for ~24 hours.
You’ll have to do more of the work if you want the spheres this mold makes to be clear, but it’s a high-quality tray for ice spheres.
4. W&P Peak Silicone Ice Mold Tray w/ Protective Lid ($35)
This food grade, BPA free, premium silicone ice mold makes one 2-inch clear ice cube for bourbon.
You can also buy different molds to use inside the container if you want spheres or more ice at once.
5. Tovolo Sphere Ice Molds – Set of 2 ($11)
The cheapest item on our list, these standalone spherical molds make one 2.5-inch ice sphere each.
These are food grade and BPA-free, but doesn’t make clear ice unless you follow the right processes (outlined above).
6. glacio Silicone Ice Cube Trays – 2 Pack ($14.25)
These food grade and BPA-free ice molds are similar to the other glacio sphere molds, but are simply for cubes instead.
They provide a solid and inexpensive option you can use to make ice cubes that are just under 2 inches.
Again, this won’t make clear ice for you, but can to create clear ice if you follow the right methods.
Are You Gonna Go Clear Ice or Regular Ice?
If you’re a crazy bourbon person like I am, you gotta go clear ice.
It’s just worth it.
Your drink will be purer, your ice will look cooler (no pun intended), and it’ll be like what you’d get at a nice cocktail bar.
But at the end of the day, you get to make that choice.
There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy bourbon.
You do you!
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.