The reason is guaiacol, an aromatic oil that gives the liquor its signature smoky flavor. Guaiacol is present in guaiacum, a kind of slow-growing shrub with pretty purple flowers, and, as relates to whiskey, the compound is also present in something called wood creosote.
To make whiskey, distillers create a mash, or fermented alcohol solution from a mixture of grains, yeast and water. If you’ve ever wondered what, besides spelling, separates American whiskey from Irish whiskey and Scottish whisky, the answer is (at least in part) the ingredients. Broadly speaking, American whiskey (also called bourbon) is usually made from corn; Irish whiskey from a blend of malted and regular barley; Scottish whiskey (Scotch) from only malted barley. After the mash is made with its respective grain, whiskey makers pour it in distillers, or special containers that boil off the methanol—alcohol that famously makes humans go blind. That leaves behind ethanol, the alcohol that we think of as, well, alcohol, along with the flavors of the original mash. The remaining liquid is put to age in charred oak barrels, which is where scotch gains it’s guaiacol. Charring wood creates wood creosote, so as the liquid interacts with the barrel’s walls, guaiacol migrates into the liquor.
Unless you're drinking your whiskey through a bendy straw, you're sipping from what's known as the liquid-air interface—the top. But when whiskey is more than 50 percent alcohol, as is the case with some of the finer varieties, guaiacol tends to hang out deep in the glass. Adding a bit of water moves guaiacol closer to the surface, where you can better smell and taste it, creating a more satisfactory flavor.
So there it is! Splash some water into the dram,and enjoy your medicine!
Unless you're drinking your whiskey through a bendy straw, you're sipping from what's known as the liquid-air interface—the top. But when whiskey is more than 50 percent alcohol, as is the case with some of the finer varieties, guaiacol tends to hang out deep in the glass. Adding a bit of water moves guaiacol closer to the surface, where you can better smell and taste it, creating a more satisfactory flavor.
So there it is! Splash some water into the dram,and enjoy your medicine!
Other than the author TOTALLy screwing up how the distillation process works, and very interesting article.
ReplyDeleteExplain
DeleteYes, please do. I understand the post is not a 'how to' walk-through... Quoting wikipedia won't cut it, btw. Give us something honest we can refer to.
ReplyDeleteProper whiskey has peat in the process.
ReplyDelete"whiskey makers pour it in distillers, or special containers that boil off the methanol—alcohol that famously makes humans go blind. That leaves behind ethanol, the alcohol that we think of as, well, alcohol, along with the flavors of the original mash. The remaining liquid is put to age in charred oak barrels, which is where scotch gains it’s guaiacol."
ReplyDeleteNot exactly (or even remotely) a good explanation how a still works.
A still uses heat and a column to separate different compounds by the difference in their boiling points. Methanol does come out of a still first (actually butanols and other really volatile alcohols come first, then the methanols) these are called the "heads". We throw those away 'cause they are toxic and taste bad. When the still gets hotter, the ethyl alcohols come off, at about 172 F. Water is left behind as it boils at 212. (do some Google research for a better explanation, it is too long to go into here in a comment on this blog). The ethanol is what we use to make "spirits", "moonshine" or "booze".
I can explain better, but it will take more words and you can google it easier.
All those folks offering their "wisdom" but not ONE offering us sip of whiskey! How uncouth!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx7unZ7enYg
ReplyDelete=TW=