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August 18, 2017

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A few drops of water enhances whisky taste

Source: AFP | 00:01 UTC+8 August 18, 2017 | Print Edition

Ignore the snobs, because most experts agree: a few drops of water enhance the taste of whiskies, from well-rounded blends to peat bombs redolent of smoke, tobacco and leather.

The only real question is, why is this true?

The answer, a pair of biochemists in Sweden said yesterday, resides in the subtle interplay of molecules that brings those bursting with flavor to the surface of the liquid amber in one’s glass.

The smoky flavor typical of whiskies made on the Scottish island of Islay, for example, can be traced to a group of flavor-packed molecules known as phenols, and to one in particular called guaiacol.

Laboratory simulations revealed that adding a splash of H2O makes guaiacol rise to “the air-liquid interface,” Bjorn Karlsson and Ran Friedman of Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Sweden reported in the journal Scientific Reports.

“Because this drink is consumed at the interface first,” they continued, belaboring the obvious as only scientists can, “our findings help to understand why adding water to whisky helps to enhance its taste.”

Higher concentrations of guaiacol are found in Scottish whiskies than in American or Irish ones, the study found.

For any whisky, the importance of adding water is already evident in the manufacturing process.

Whiskies are made by distilling fermented grains, such as barley or rye. Distilled malt whiskies typically contain around 70 percent alcohol before being aged in oak barrels for at least three years.

Maturation reduces the alcohol content by 5 to 15 percent,

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