Search

Aroma compounds in Scottish Macallan single malt and Japanese Yamazaki single malt whisky of two ages each were analyzed by headspace solid phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). The results showed that esters, acids, and alcohols were the most abundant volatile compounds in all whisky samples, accounting for over 90% of the total. Odor activity value (OAV) was calculated for 58 of the 243 volatile compounds identified. Phenylethyl acetate, acacia alcohol, and trans-nerolid alcohol in Scotch Macallan whisky had higher OAVs, contributing to obvious floral aroma, while Japanese Yamazaki whisky had an obvious fruity aroma, due to higher OAVs of ethyl isovalerate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, and 1-decanol. Two-dimensional hierarchical clustering analysis suggested that the typical aroma compounds in Yamazaki whisky were 2-methylbutyrate ethyl ester, butyrate ethyl ester, and isovalerate ethyl ester, while those in Macallan whisky were acacia alcohol, trans-nerolid alcohol, and damastone. Additionally, principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that each whisky had unique aroma characteristics. This study suggests that flavor characteristics are an important index for the evaluation of different whisky samples.

Copyright of Shipin Kexue/ Food Science is the property of Food Science Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Single malt whiskies are popular around the world. The 37 esters, 10 alcohols, 10 phenols, 8 aldehydes, 8 acids, 6 alkanes, 4 ketones and 3 heterocycles were detected in the single malt whiskies extracted from different origins in Scotland by HS-SPME (headspace solid-phase microextraction) and LLE (liquid-liquid extraction) and identified by GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). QDA (quantitative descriptive analysis) combined with multivariate statistics were used to investigate the effects of the differential aroma-active compounds on the sensory aroma characteristics. O-cresol, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, 5-methylfurfural and propionic acid might influence the flavor of single malt whiskies of different origins in Scotland. The 54 key whisky aroma compounds were analyzed, with isoamyl acetate having the highest OAV (odour activity value) of all whisky samples. In addition, the aromas of volatile compounds were analyzed using OSME (odor-specific magnitude estimation) and OAV. Based on these facts, the researchers developed a flavour wheel with 10 aroma profiles. This paper evaluates Scotch single malt whisky from a Chinese perspective, which helps the development of the Chinese whisky market. [Display omitted] ● Analyzing different regions of single malt whiskies in Scotland. ● The main volatile aromatic compounds were identified in single malt whiskies. ● The OAV value of isoamyl acetate was the highest among the single malt whiskies. ● The researchers developed a flavour wheel with 10 aroma profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]