A Matter of Taste: Bourbon, chemistry, and the quest for flavor
Here鈥檚 a fun exercise: open a new browser window on your computer and search the phrase 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the best way to drink bourbon?鈥
This is a good way to lose hours of your day. The answers are unending 鈥 seemingly as vast as the internet itself.
And the consensus? Well, there isn鈥檛 one.
Some folks will tell you it鈥檚 a sin to add anything to fine Kentucky bourbon. Others say an ice cube or two transforms the bourbon as it cools and the ice melts. Others say a splash of water is required to 鈥渨ake up鈥 slumbering flavors.
And that鈥檚 before we venture into cocktails, mixers, sugar, herbs, bitters, fruit and all the rest.
So, is it just a matter of taste and preference? Isn鈥檛 there anything concrete we can rely on to point us in the right direction?
Enter Leonard Demoranville, associate professor of chemistry. He and his students have been using the technology available to them in 国标麻豆视频APP鈥檚 laboratories to get a definitive answer to some of these questions.
That research was spurred by some theoretical work using simulations to analyze the flavorful elements of bourbon.
鈥淚 came across a paper where they looked at these smoky molecules called guaiacol and they did it all computationally,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 thinking, 鈥榃e have a tool sitting in there that I can use to actually make these measurements and see the findings.鈥欌
The research centers on how proof may affect the flavor of bourbon 鈥 specifically, how the ratio of ethanol to water causes different amounts of guaiacol molecules, and how that affects the smoky aromas found in the gas above the whiskey.
So basically, how a splash of water affects the distinctive smoky, woody, vanilla flavors we experience via our sense of smell as a sip of bourbon crosses our lips.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really talking about flavor, not taste. And it turns out that most of your flavor sensation is happening through your nasal passages,鈥 Demoranville said. 鈥淪o the guaiacol molecules have to get into your nose. That's why when you sample the bourbon, you swish it around in your mouth for a while or you 鈥榗hew鈥 it a little. You're trying to get those things into your nose.鈥
Demoranville is presenting the research findings at a symposium at the biennial Conference for Chemical Education, which is being hosted at the University of Kentucky in July.
In the future, he hopes to expand the research to look at other flavor compounds such as esters, which have a fruity profile.
Demoranville also teaches a popular 国标麻豆视频APPTerm class, The Chemistry of Beer, Wine and Bourbon, which delves into the science behind some of our country鈥檚 favorite beverages. It stemmed from his home brewing hobby which started before he moved to Kentucky and joined the 国标麻豆视频APP faculty in 2012.
How bourbon earned a spot in the lesson plan is a very Kentucky story.
鈥淚n my interview, they asked which upper-level chemistry elective I would like to teach. I said, 鈥榯he Chemistry of Beer and Wine.鈥 The person sitting across the table looked at me and said, 鈥楾hat won鈥檛 work here.鈥欌
Demoranville鈥檚 mind began to race as he wondered if he had committed a faux pas that might end his 国标麻豆视频APP career before it even began.
Then the interviewer let him off the hook.
鈥淎ll these things flashed through my mind then she said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e in bourbon country. You have to have bourbon included,鈥欌 he laughed. 鈥淵es. I can do that.鈥
国标麻豆视频APP鈥檚 location in the heart of Kentucky鈥檚 bourbon region has been an asset to Demoranville鈥檚 work. Pat Heist, co-founder of Danville鈥檚 Wilderness Trail Distillery, is a biochemist and has given students in the class a unique behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. Demoranville and Heist co-authored a 2021 paper published by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers titled 鈥淭he Chemistry of Bourbon.鈥
Additionally, former 国标麻豆视频APP chemistry professor John M. Medley now serves as technical services director for distilling giant Sazerac, owner of Buffalo Trace Distillery. That connection has allowed Demoranville鈥檚 students to see the on-site laboratories that aren鈥檛 open to the public.
鈥淭he bourbon industry is really a wonderful community鈥 Demoranville said. 鈥淭hey are really welcoming while also being in competition with one another.鈥
Breaking through the science to everyday application, how much water should you add to your bourbon? It鈥檚 a bit of a sliding scale depending on how strong you want the smoky flavors to be and how strong your whiskey is.
鈥淭he more ethanol you have, the less guaiacol comes out,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o the more water you have, the more of that smoky flavor.鈥
Adding a splash of water will change the way your bourbon tastes, which would make it more or less appealing, based on how much you like the flavors being enhanced.
So we learn again, there is no single, correct answer for how you should take your bourbon.
鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 a matter of perspective,鈥 Demoranville said. 鈥淵ou might really enjoy it one way, and I might really enjoy it another. There鈥檚 a judgment call there.鈥
So after all this research and networking, which bourbon is Demoranville鈥檚 favorite?
鈥淭he one that鈥檚 in front of me.鈥
