n, chemistry, 11/7/12 cognac, Oak maturation, rum, whis

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The chemistry of casks Part 2

by PHILIP REIM on 03/01/2011 3 COMMENTS

P OP ULA R P OS TS Aromatic substances of whisky : V anillin and v anillic acid Aromatic substances of whisky : Eugenol and Guaiacol

The first part of this series of articles covered oak casks and their central role in the development of a spirits taste. This article will take a closer look at the compounds and substances that determine the character and the aroma of spirits. If taste and scent of spirits such as whisky, cognac, rum, etc. are to be described, a distinction can be made between smoky and fruity, floral and woody as well as between sweet or salty, just to give a few examples. This wide variety of different tastes is due to, in the case of whiskies for example, more than 300 volatile chemical substances. Although some of these substances differ substantially in their chemical makeup, the majority of them can be classified as members of the known groups of chemicals. It can be shown that compounds belonging to the phenols or lactones play an especially vital role in developing the aroma and taste of whiskies. But aldehydes, organic acids and their salts significantly contribute as well. As the final taste of a spirits is influenced by almost every step of its production process, it is not always possible to determine exactly which step introduces a given substance to be analysed. But it has been shown that storage in wooden casks is by far the most important process for developing the taste of spirits by imparting the distillate with important and characteristic flavour-carriers. In this process, several substances in the wood of the cask are dissolved, the most notable of those being decomposition products of polysaccharides, triglycerides and lignin. Sensory examination and various chromatographic tests are employed to differentiate between these chemical substances. These assays showed the concentration of flavour-carrying phenolic compounds to be higher in the spirits that matured a longer time in wooden casks than in those that had only been in brief contact with the wood. The following list contains some of the substances that have been proven to be the most significant for a whiskeys taste. The whiskey analysed was bourbon whiskey. The most important flavour-carriers of Scotch and Irish whiskies are with some variations in concentration the same as in bourbon whiskies, however, as all three spirits mature in oak casks. (Image: sashafatcat/Flickr)

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The substances listed are part of the regular chemical groups. Among these, the most significant

n, chemistry, 11/7/12 cognac, Oak maturation, rum, whis

are the lactones, a group that also includes a substance called whisky-lactone or quercuslactone. This lactone received its non-scientific name based on the fact that it had only been discovered when cask-matured spirits were analysed; larger quantities of this component were first discovered in whiskey. During sensory examination, it is characterised by coconut aromas. Another vital lactone is nonalactone, imparting the distillate with apricot, lavender and orchid aromas. Among the aldehydes, the substance with the most profound influence on the taste is syringa aldehyde, which is ascribed with tangy and smoky notes. These are complemented by distinct aromas and a taste of smouldering wood. In addition to this substances contribution to scent and taste of the distillate, it also exhibits antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Other notable aldehydes are vanillin, eugenol and guaiacol. Vanillin gives spirits and many other foodstuffs vanilla flavours, whereas eugenol adds typical clover aromas to the distillate and guaiacol is primarily characterised as having a smoky and sweet taste. The final major group of substances influencing the taste of whiskies are rose ketones. This is an umbrella term for several substances that belong to the damascenones, damascones or ionones. The non-scientific name rose ketones is due to the high concentration of these compounds in Damask roses (Rosa damascena). Although the combined concentration of rose ketones in rose oils is only 0.15%, these substances nevertheless have a profound influence on the general scent of these oils. In general, these substances are among the most odoriferous organic compounds in the world. A common sensory property of rose ketones is a tangy scent of exotic flowers, blackcurrant as well as green and black tea. In whiskeys, however, this aroma predominantly creates a sensation of baked apples. The third part of the series The Chemistry of Casks will show why oak chips cannot replace oak casks in the maturing of spirits and how the taste of the final product would be altered, even though casks and chips are of the same material.

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Related posts: 1. The chemistry of casks Part 1 2. The chemistry of casks Part 3: Wood chips vs. Casks 3. Aromatic substances of whisky: Syringaldehyde and Syringa acid Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to Liquorpress Email Newsletter .
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3 Responses to the chemistry of casks part 2

Dg say s:
0 3 /0 1 /2 0 1 1 a t 9 :3 5 PM

Thanks Phillip for writing on my fav orite subject

RE P L Y

Philip Reim say s:

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n, chemistry, 11/7/12 cognac, Oak maturation, rum, whis Y oure welcome! There are a lot of these articles y et to come.
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T he chemistry of casks Part 1 say s:

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[...] second part of The chemistry of casks will describe and analy se these compounds more closely . It will show that all the notable [...]
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