Bar Tools

Spirit Stones

Spirit stones, often sold as whisky stones, are small cubes of stainless steel or soapstone, about 2 to 3cm across in the ones we use (our shop sells a set of four in stainless steel with a case), that you freeze and put in a neat spirit to cool it without adding water. They cool a pour a little, far less than ice, because ice does most of its cooling by melting. They suit a neat rum, whisky or brandy that you want slightly cooler and exactly as strong.

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The tool

About the Spirit Stones

We Make One

Four food-grade stainless steel stones with a clear storage case, for cooling a neat pour without adding water.

Stainless Steel Spirit Stones (Set of 4 with Case)

Cold Without Water, Within Limits

A frozen stone cools a drink by warming up. Ice cools mainly by melting, and melting takes far more heat than warming a solid does.

Melting a gram of ice absorbs about 334 joules. Warming a gram of steel from minus 18°C to 10°C absorbs about 14 joules, and a gram of soapstone about 27. Gram for gram, ice does more than ten times the cooling.

So stones cool a neat pour a little and leave it exactly as strong. They cannot make it as cold as ice does.

Spirit stones, ice and a chilled glass compared

Steel or soapstone stones

Cooling: A little
Water added: None
Use it for: A neat pour you want slightly cooler and undiluted

One large ice cube

Cooling: A lot, slowly
Water added: Some, gradually
Use it for: A neat pour you want cold

Glass chilled beforehand

Cooling: A little, at the start
Water added: None
Use it for: Giving the stones a head start

Method	Cooling	Water added	Use it for
Steel or soapstone stones	A little	None	A neat pour you want slightly cooler and undiluted
One large ice cube	A lot, slowly	Some, gradually	A neat pour you want cold
Glass chilled beforehand	A little, at the start	None	Giving the stones a head start

Steel or Soapstone

Soapstone absorbs more heat per gram than steel. Steel is about three times as dense, so a steel cube holds more cold than a soapstone cube of the same size.

Steel is also easier to wash and does not chip. Soapstone is softer, which is kinder to glass, and may crack when dropped.

Freeze Them, Then Slide Them In

Freeze the stones for several hours, overnight if you can, in their case or a sealed bag.

Tilt the glass and slide them down the side rather than dropping them, which can chip it. Several stones to a pour do more than one, because more mass absorbs more heat.

Neat Pours Only

A cocktail is built around the water its ice adds. Our recipes time the shake and the stir for that reason, and stones would leave the drink too strong and too warm.

Keep them for a neat measure, and chill the glass first to get the most from them.

Using it

Using the Spirit Stones

Usage

Cooling a neat pour of rum, whisky or brandy slightly, when you want no water in it at all. Several stones to a pour, slid into the glass, chilled first if you can. Not for cocktails, where the water from the ice is part of the recipe.

Pro Tip

If you want a neat pour colder than stones alone can make it, chill the glass in the freezer for ten minutes first. The stones then keep it cool rather than doing all the work.

Professional Tips

Freeze them for several hours, overnight if you can.
Chill the glass as well; stones keep a cold drink cold better than they make a warm one cold.
Tilt the glass and slide the stones in rather than dropping them.
Wash and dry them before they go back in the freezer.

Alternatives

Budget Alternative

One large ice cube. It cools far more than stones do and dilutes slowly, and many people like the little water it adds to a neat spirit.

Premium Option

Larger steel stones or spheres. More mass absorbs more heat, so they cool a pour a little more; they still cool far less than ice.

Specifications

Material
Stainless steel, sometimes with a sealed core, or soapstone
Capacity
Not applicable; cubes about 2 to 3cm across in the ones we use; our shop’s set is four stainless steel stones with a storage case
Details
Sold in sets, often with a tray, pouch or case for the freezer

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

Do whisky stones actually work?

They cool a drink a little and add no water, which is all they can do. Ice cools far more, because most of its cooling comes from melting, and stones do not melt. If you want a neat pour slightly cooler and exactly as strong, they work; if you want it cold, use ice.

Spirit stones or ice: which should I use?

Ice, if you want the drink cold. One large cube cools a pour well and dilutes it slowly. Stones are for when you want no water at all and are content with a smaller drop in temperature.

How long do spirit stones take to freeze?

Several hours. Steel is dense and takes time to reach freezer temperature right through, so overnight is safest. Keep them in their case or a sealed bag, so they do not pick up the smell of the freezer.

How many spirit stones should I use in a glass?

Several to a pour; one cube on its own does very little. More stones, or larger ones, absorb more heat and cool the drink further. A set of four suits a single neat measure in a rocks glass.

Will spirit stones scratch or chip my glass?

They can if they are dropped, especially into a thin glass. Tilt the glass and slide them down the side, or lower them in with a spoon. Rounded edges are kinder to glass than sharp corners.

Can I use spirit stones in a cocktail?

No. A shaken or stirred cocktail is built around the water its ice adds, and our recipes time the shake and the stir for that reason. Stones would leave the drink too strong and too warm. Keep them for neat pours.

Are stainless steel stones better than soapstone?

Gram for gram, soapstone absorbs more heat, but steel is about three times as dense, so a steel cube holds more cold than a soapstone cube of the same size. Steel is also easier to clean and does not chip. Both cool far less than ice.

Sources.

Correct as of 18 October 2026.

Jerry Can Spirits shop, “Stainless Steel Spirit Stones (Set of 4 with Case)” (four food-grade stainless steel stones with a clear storage case; no dimensions published).

Make something

Made with the Spirit Stones

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Guide by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 18 October 2026

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