Whiskey

[hughtrimble]

How peaty is on the scale

Love a standard Buna Peat but laphroig tastes like TCP to me

I'm not the one you're asking about this, but that's an example of the different distillerys' character and peating methods, rather than peat level. If you're referring to phenol PPM then that is quantifiable, however that's only in the grain itself rather than the spirit off the still, let alone the spirit in the bottle you drink.

Higher PPM is therefore no real indication of what it'll taste like to you, let alone me as someone with a different palate. Laphroaig 10 at ~45 PPM 'feels' far more peated to me than my Octomores which are in the 100-200 PPM range.

[Wolfie]

I'm not the one you're asking about this, but that's an example of the different distillerys' character and peating methods, rather than peat level. If you're referring to phenol PPM then that is quantifiable, however that's only in the grain itself rather than the spirit off the still, let alone the spirit in the bottle you drink.

Higher PPM is therefore no real indication of what it'll taste like to you, let alone me as someone with a different palate. Laphroaig 10 at ~45 PPM 'feels' far more peated to me than my Octomores which are in the 100-200 PPM range.

U WOT M8?

In all seriousness…. Thanks for the detail…. I just need to decipher it

So different whiskies taste entirely different to different pallets

And the TCP hit is actual phenol ? So is that Indian stuff lowers phenol PPM? More akin to the standard Buna level of phenol?

[hughtrimble]

U WOT M8?

In all seriousness…. Thanks for the detail…. I just need to decipher it

So different whiskies taste entirely different to different pallets

And the TCP hit is actual phenol ? So is that Indian stuff lowers phenol PPM? More akin to the standard Buna level of phenol?

Quite alright!

Different whiskies, like anything, can taste different to different people - it's why there's not really ever a wrong answer when someone says they taste X in a whisky and you don't. You will also find some things pleasant or unpleasant, that I may find repulsive or gorgeous respectively! Therefore, each person's feelings about the notes in whisky can differ greatly. It was just a word of caution about seeking someone else's grading on the peat level of the Amrut - to you it might be very peaty, to others, much less so.

Different phenols smell differently, and PPM level is no guide for this. All PPM is, is a count of the phenols in the grain before it even starts producing the spirit. That will not provide an indication of the type of taste it produces, e.g. bonfire, TCP, rubber, burnt meat fat etc. as that depends entirely on the way the barley has been peated. Each distillery has its own method for this - lots of distilleries use Port Ellen Maltings to do the peating of their malt, but they all taste very different due to the precise process they instruct Port Ellen to undertake. This can include the type of peat, the temperature, the length of time the barley is exposed to the peat smoke for etc. not to mention the way that spirit is then dealt with by the distilleries, in terms of what 'makes the cut'.

Also, I don't think phenols are detected by our senses in a linear way - just because one thing has a PPM of 40 and another of 80, does not mean the latter will taste twice as phenolic.

[Wolfie]

Quite alright!

Different whiskies, like anything, can taste different to different people - it's why there's not really ever a wrong answer when someone says they taste X in a whisky and you don't. You will also find some things pleasant or unpleasant, that I may find repulsive or gorgeous respectively! Therefore, each person's feelings about the notes in whisky can differ greatly. It was just a word of caution about seeking someone else's grading on the peat level of the Amrut - to you it might be very peaty, to others, much less so.

Different phenols smell differently, and PPM level is no guide for this. All PPM is, is a count of the phenols in the grain before it even starts producing the spirit. That will not provide an indication of the type of taste it produces, e.g. bonfire, TCP, rubber, burnt meat fat etc. as that depends entirely on the way the barley has been peated. Each distillery has its own method for this - lots of distilleries use Port Ellen Maltings to do the peating of their malt, but they all taste very different due to the precise process they instruct Port Ellen to undertake. This can include the type of peat, the temperature, the length of time the barley is exposed to the peat smoke for etc. not to mention the way that spirit is then dealt with by the distilleries, in terms of what 'makes the cut'.

Also, I don't think phenols are detected by our senses in a linear way - just because one thing has a PPM of 40 and another of 80, does not mean the latter will taste twice as phenolic.

Well…. Every days a school day

Thank you for educating me!

The only way to work out if the Indian stuff is too peaty/ TCP is to try it I guess :-)

It was a specific recommendation for me earlier so is on ‘the list’