In my last blog about “What gives whisky colour?” I listed a number of chemical compounds that give whisky it’s colour. What I was wondering is how these colours match with the Odour and Taste of whisky.
So I made a wee list combining the Revised Scottish Whisky Flavour Wheel with information I dug up on PubChem. It took some while to find all the information and combine it.
What is fun to see is that with the increase in time some of the colour compounds in whisky increase. This however also means the odour and taste increase/decrease in time as is documented in this research article “Formation of volatile and maturation-related congeners during the aging of sugarcane spirit in oak barrels”, JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE OF BREWING, Volume 120, Issue 4, 2014, Pages: 529–536, André R. Alcarde, Leandro M. Souza and Aline M. Bortoletto
Some of the compounds mentioned in the article do not have a colour so they are not listed in the table below. Also some compounds that are listed and would give a colour to a liquid I did not list since these originate in other liquors / drinks. I will check this if I feel like it! It would be fun to add Oloroso / PX / Bourbon / Rum cask influences to the list below.
Anyway, enjoy the list.
| Name in Whisky Technology | Odor | Taste | Congener SWFW | Colour of Liquid as listed on PubChem |
| 4-ethyl phenol | POWERFUL WOODY-PHENOLIC, YET SOMEWHAT SWEET
MEDICINAL, PHENOLIC |
SWEET SMOKEY | Smoky | COLOURLESS OR WHITE NEEDLES; TEND TO YELLOW ON EXPOSURE TO LIGHT |
| Alpha-ionone | It has a warm, woody, floral odor with balsamic and sweet tones and is strongly reminiscent of violet flowers.
Sweet-floral odor, reminiscent of violets |
Woody, floral, berry, fruity with powdery nuances | Floral (Artificial – scented, perfumed) | Colourless to slightly yellow liquid |
| Benzaldehyde | Characteristic odor or volatile oil of almond
Odor resembling oil of bitter almond |
Burning aromatic taste
Similar to bitter almond |
Nutty | Colourless or yellowish, strongly refractive volatile oil Strongly refractive liquid, becoming yellowish on keeping. |
| Decanol | Floral, fruity odor
RESEMBLE ORANGE FLOWERS |
SLIGHT, CHARACTERISTIC FATTY TASTE | Soapy | Colourless to water-white liquid |
| Dimethyl sulphide | UNPLEASANT ODOR OF WILD RADISH, CABBAGE-LIKE | Characteristic flavor | Vegerable | Colourless to straw colored liquid |
| Euganol | Odor of cloves
Warm, spicy, floral |
Spicy, pungent taste | Spicy | Colourless or pale yellow or amber-colored liquid. Colourless or pale yellow liquid. |
| Furfural | Peculiar odor, somewhat resembling the odor of benzaldehyde… Almond-like odor … | Distinct caramel taste | Nutty | Colourless to amber liquid. Colourless, oily liquid … Turns yellow to brown on exposure to air and light and resinifies. Colourless liquid (becomes reddish-brown on exposure to light and air) |
| Geraniol | Sweet rose odor
Pleasant geranium-like odor Pleasant, floral odor |
sweet floral rose, citrus with fruity, waxy nuances | Floral (Artificial – scented, perfumed) | Colourless to pale-yellow, liquid oil |
| Guaiacol | Aromatic odor
CHARACTERISTIC SWEET ODOR, SLIGHTLY PHENOLIC |
Burnt / Smoky | Colourless to yellowish oily liquid | |
| Hydrogen sulphide | rotten egg odor | Faint taste
Tasteless |
Meaty | amber-colored molten liquid |
| m-Cresol | Phenolic odor
Sweet, tarry odor Distinct phenolic odor, with an odor threshold of 5 ppm; sometimes referred to as an empyreumatic odor |
– | Burnt | Colorless, yellowish or pinkish liquid |
| o-Cresol | Phenolic odor
Sweet, tarry odor |
– | Medicinal | Colourless or yellow to brown-yellow or pinkish colored liquid. Crystals in liquid becoming dark with age and exposure to light and air |
| Octanoic acid | FAINT, FRUITY-ACID ODOR
UNPLEASANT AND IRRITATING ODOR Slight odor |
Slightly sour taste
lightly unpleasant rancid taste |
Colourless to light yellow liquid | |
| β-ionone | Warm woody, dry, and fruity odor
Odor reminiscent of cedar wood; violet-like upon dilution |
Woody, berry, floral, green and fruity | Floral (Artificial – scented, perfumed) | Colourless to light yellow liquid
Colourless to pale, straw-coloured liquid |
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