Proofing Water: Distilled, Filtered or Tap?

[Briar]

Hi All,

This is my first post and the topic may have been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find a real in-depth discussion of it. My question: What kind of water do you prefer for bringing newmake spirits to proof for barrel aging and then for bottling. I've heard people insist on using only distilled water to avoid any disruption of the established flavor profile of the spirit. Others have said that adding distilled water flattens out the flavor rendering it dull and insipid. They say that filtered, de-ionized or reverse osmosis water is the only way to go since it removes undesirable chemicals and minerals but keeps the body and flavor of local water. Others say all this nitpicking is unnecessary and that you should just draw a bucket of your local tap water, letting it aerate overnight to let the chlorine dissipate, and go for it.

At least aesthetically, I tend to gravitate toward the last option--tap water--because I like the idea of the finished product tasting like the water of its origin. What I'm considering doing is boiling my tap water to really evaporate off the chlorine, let it cool and then cut my newmake to barrel proof. Thoughts? Does anyone know what the traditional Scottish and Kentucky distilleries do?

Regards,
Briar