I mixed whiskey with coke when I was younger, and might still do that if I wanted to hide the taste, but now I just dilute it with a bit of spring water (Bourbon and branch). Not to be overly judgmental, but most folks I've met with who drink whiskey straight were playing "I can drink more than you" games. Maybe some really do enjoy downing their spirits strong and fast, but for me it all too often resulted in a night of worshiping at the porcelain altar. It took longer than it really should have, but I finally decided that game wasn't fun enough to play anymore.

As to alcohol content, proof is a measure of alcohol content where 2 proof = 1 percent; I haven't looked closely at all of the Van Winkle varieties, but 10yo Rip comes in 90-proof, which is 45% (I prefer it because I think it has more flavor), and 107-proof, which is 53.5% alcohol. Around here, they refer to the higher alcohol content version as "hotter" -- that makes sense when you think about it, but I thought the phrase was a little funny when I first heard it.