You pay $2 a bottle for undefiled ...

You pay $2 a bottle for undefiled spring water, and $80 for 18-year- advanced in years scotch, and you ice it down with . . an ordinary cube of ice?

Instead, to what extent about some spring- or filtered-water ice cubes?

by and by you'll be able to learn such prepackaged, upscale ice -- at a premium price, of course.

A handful of businesses are aiming to persuade consumer restaurants, airlines, public-houses hospitals and the military they could be risking their health -- and compromising righteous taste -- if they don't opt for the higher-priced ice.

We're not talking plastic bags of premade ice, like the uniteds you can get at mostly supermarkets and convenience stores. These are sealed ice-cube trays filled with unfrozen spring or filtered water and marketed as better-tasting than tap water and safer than ice handled at humans.

one ARE EVEN VITAMIN-ENHANCED.

Icerocks marketed as "secur spring water ice cubes" are fix to hit stores nationwide in October. Four trays with slot for 12 cubes each will outlay about $3.99. AquaICE sealed ice-cube trays -- containing purified municipal tap water in plain, lemon and lime flavors -- already are sold in a handful of Ohio stores for about $5 for 50 cubes.

CHICAGO FIRM AIMS FOR BIG MARKET

A hardly any ice companies already have specialty ice forward the market.

Lang Ice Co in Chicago markets its square Chicago Classic Cubes upon its Web site as "gourmet ice cubes that are designed to last longer" Still, Lang Ice proprietor Paul Lang says he's not looking solitary for upscale customers: "Our business focus is more everyday consumption of the product"

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