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This is mostly seen from the angle of guaiacol, which is relevant for peaty whiskies. Does this hold for less peat-forward whiskies? Could water dilution hurt s

This is mostly seen from the angle of guaiacol, which is relevant for peaty whiskies. Does this hold for less peat-forward whiskies? Could water dilution hurt some other compounds?

tptacek 9y ago
It's a good question, but much (in a lot of cases maybe most?) of the flavor of a whiskey comes from the cask, not the mash bill, and guaiacol is a component of the wood flavor as well.
- kasey_junk 9y ago
  Ummm citation please? I'm not even sure of a measurement that you could cite for "flavor" that would be generally agreeable to experts. But certainly mash bill vs cask is the biggest debate in whiskey right? Like I'm a mash bill guy but I'll buy that I'm wrong cause the science is unclear.
  - tptacek 9y ago
    Woodford Reserve does a rye thing where they sell a pair of identical mash bill bottles, aged for the same amount of time, one in new oak and one in "used" (ex-rye). The difference is huge; they're not remotely the same whiskeys. Meanwhile, Four Roses Single Barrel does annual releases with different "recipes", varying in mash bill and yeast strain. If you actually go to Four Roses, you can buy a bottle of every recipe. My brother did that and we did a tasting, and it is very hard to tell them apart. I can't give you a scientific cite, but from experience: cask is a huge flavor influence. Chuck Cowdery suggests it's why indie distillers have such a hard time turning out good product (they use smaller casks, which age whiskey poorly). Note though that expecting exactly this kind of response, I said "in a lot of cases". And, of course, I'm not saying you couldn't immediately tell the difference between a non-peated bourbon-aged barley Scotch and a corn whiskey, or the difference between a wheated bourbon and a high-rye bourbon! My only point is: wood flavors are important to non-peated whiskey. :)
nicholassmith 9y ago
Caveat: I am not a scientist, just a humble lover of a dram. I don't generally go for peaty whiskies, much preferring the Speyside flavour profile and some of them benefit from a couple of drops of water. It differs from whisky to whisky, and age to age. I'll generally try one without, one with, and decide what my favourite is.

This is mostly seen from the angle of guaiacol, which is relevant for peaty whiskies. Does this hold for less peat-forward whiskies? Could water dilution hurt some other compounds?

tptacek 9y ago

It's a good question, but much (in a lot of cases maybe most?) of the flavor of a whiskey comes from the cask, not the mash bill, and guaiacol is a component of the wood flavor as well.

kasey_junk 9y ago
Ummm citation please? I'm not even sure of a measurement that you could cite for "flavor" that would be generally agreeable to experts. But certainly mash bill vs cask is the biggest debate in whiskey right? Like I'm a mash bill guy but I'll buy that I'm wrong cause the science is unclear.
- tptacek 9y ago
  Woodford Reserve does a rye thing where they sell a pair of identical mash bill bottles, aged for the same amount of time, one in new oak and one in "used" (ex-rye). The difference is huge; they're not remotely the same whiskeys. Meanwhile, Four Roses Single Barrel does annual releases with different "recipes", varying in mash bill and yeast strain. If you actually go to Four Roses, you can buy a bottle of every recipe. My brother did that and we did a tasting, and it is very hard to tell them apart. I can't give you a scientific cite, but from experience: cask is a huge flavor influence. Chuck Cowdery suggests it's why indie distillers have such a hard time turning out good product (they use smaller casks, which age whiskey poorly). Note though that expecting exactly this kind of response, I said "in a lot of cases". And, of course, I'm not saying you couldn't immediately tell the difference between a non-peated bourbon-aged barley Scotch and a corn whiskey, or the difference between a wheated bourbon and a high-rye bourbon! My only point is: wood flavors are important to non-peated whiskey. :)

nicholassmith 9y ago

Caveat: I am not a scientist, just a humble lover of a dram. I don't generally go for peaty whiskies, much preferring the Speyside flavour profile and some of them benefit from a couple of drops of water. It differs from whisky to whisky, and age to age. I'll generally try one without, one with, and decide what my favourite is.