Decoding the aroma of Bourbon and Scotch whisky – Identification of the key odorants
Aquavite—later known as whisky—was first recorded in Scotland in 1494 and later brought to North America by Scottish and Irish settlers. Over the centuries, regional differences in production emerged, driven by variations in raw materials and processing techniques, such as kilning methods. While Scotch whisky is produced exclusively from malted barley, American whiskey must contain at least 51% corn and may additionally include rye, wheat, or malted barley. Moreover, American whiskey is matured in newly charred oak barrels. To elucidate the molecular basis of whisk(e)y aroma and to assess the influence of differing production processes on aroma compound formation, important odorants were characterized in a single malt Scotch whisky and an American bourbon using methods within the sensomics approach. The bourbon exhibited up to 18-fold higher odor activity values (OAVs) for compounds such as the vanilla-like 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde and the coconut-like cis-whisky lactone compared to the Scotch. In contrast, the traditional Scottish kilning process imparted a pronounced smoky or “peaty” character to the Scotch whisky, attributable to a distinct group of phenolic compounds with high OAVs. These phenolic odorants were largely absent in the American bourbon.
- Lightning talk
Speaker
Klaas Reglitz
Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (Leibniz-LSB@TUM)
Klaas Reglitz is a Senior Research Scientist in the “Aroma Chemistry” group led by Martin Steinhaus at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich in Freising, Germany. Klaas studied Brewing and Beverage Technology at the Technical University of Munich and received a PhD in Food Chemistry for a thesis on the “Influence of composition and structure on the release of aroma compounds from foamed milk model systems”. Klaas is working on the identification of ... read more