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The Flavor–Chemistry Association

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Whisky Science

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Abstract

Since whisky can be described as a blend of chemicals, and since each chemical ingredient has its own aroma, it seems reasonable to think that the flavor of whisky is determined by its chemical constitution. This Democritean perspective has been studied by flavor chemists and is the main focus of this chapter. Chapter 9 expands this view by considering the possible role of microscopic structures.

Nothing exists except atoms and empty space;everything else is opinion. – Democritus, 460–370 BC

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Example: “sweet, slightly musky, vanilla fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, combined with the smell of a salted, wheat-based dough.” A tasty dram? This is the trademark scent of Play-Doh®.

  2. 2.

    \(\mu = \frac {1}{3}(1)+\frac {2}{3}(0) = \frac {1}{3}\); \(\sigma ^2 = \frac {1}{3}\left (1-\frac {1}{3}\right )^2 + \frac {2}{3}\left (0-\frac {1}{3}\right )^2 = \frac {2}{9}\).

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  1. University of California, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Davis, CA, USA

    Gregory H. Miller

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Miller, G.H. (2019). The Flavor–Chemistry Association. In: Whisky Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13732-8_2

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