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IBD General Certificate > Unit 6 - Lesson 1 Maturation & Blending > Flashcards

Unit 6 - Lesson 1 Maturation & Blending Flashcards

1
Q

What benefits of maturation?

A

Reduces harshness
Adds color
Adds sweet flavor

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2
Q

What are the 3 reactions that take place in maturation?

A
  1. Additive
  2. Subtractive
  3. Sensory
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3
Q

What is an additive reaction?

A

Compounds are extracted from the wood into the spirit for

1. Flavor & 2. Color

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4
Q

Does wood have many flavor compounds?

A

Not relative to the raw materials and yeast

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5
Q

What is an example of a flavor compound?

A

Vanillin - additive flavor smells of vanilla and increases perceived sweetness during maturation

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6
Q

What are key factors for flavor and color?

A

Type of Cask

Storage Conditions

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7
Q

What are subtractive reactions?

A

When flavor compounds are removed or reduced

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8
Q

What are 3 types of subtractive reactions?

A
  1. Evaporate
  2. Removed - Interaction with wood eg char and sulphur
  3. Transformation eg reactions with other components in spirits like oxidation
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9
Q

What evaporates in casks?

A

Casks are not airtight - angle share
volatile compounds
water
alcohol

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10
Q

What impact does char have?

A

It creates a subtractive reaction and reduces sulphur compounds leaving flavor compounds unchanged hence reduces harshness

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11
Q

What does oxidation do to spirits?

A

Is a subtractive reaction when O2 reacts with flavor compounds

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12
Q

What are sensory Interactions?

A

It is perceived change of flavor even though level of compounds has not changed.
Change detected by senses

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13
Q

How would cereal-reduction provide a sensory interaction?

A

Cereal aromas reduce over time since other flavor compounds have developed during maturation

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14
Q

What are the factors that influence maturation?

A
  1. Cask and its construction
  2. How the spirit is treated prior to the cask
  3. Storage conditions
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15
Q

What are the considerations for selecting wood casks?

A
  1. Must be pliable
  2. Long lengths
  3. Free from defects (no knots)
  4. Not too porous
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16
Q

What are the main flavor components for oak?

A

Oak lactones - coconut aromas

Tannins - bitterness and astringency

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17
Q

What is Quercus alba?

A

American Oak

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18
Q

What is Quercus robur?

A

European Oak

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19
Q

What is Quercus Mongolica?

A

Japanese Oak

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20
Q

What happens to a cask once it is built and why?

A

Heat treated - a step to generate flavor

Heat breaks down structural components of oak

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21
Q

What does heat treatment do to oak?

A

Breaks down Lignin
Increases the additive flavor compounds
Otherwise there is only Oak Lactones and Tannins

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22
Q

What is Lignin?

A

Main structural component of oak
IN cell walls and gives rigidity
Highly branched molecule

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23
Q

What does heat do to Lignin?

A

Breaks down the highly complex molecule into smaller ones and some of these are flavor compounds

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24
Q

What are the main flavor compounds of heat treated oak?

A
  1. Vanillin - vanilla
  2. Eugenol - spicy, clove
  3. 4-ethyl guaiacol - smoke, spicy
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25
What are the 2 types of heat treatment for wood?
Toasting & Charing
26
What is toasting?
heat the surface of the cask without igniting the wood
27
What is charring?
Igniting the inside of the casks for a period to build a layer of char
28
What does the char layer have in a cask?
Contains little or no additive flavor compounds since most burned off in charing process. Wood below char has the flavor compounds
29
What does charing do for a cask
1. Creates a subtractive layer (the char) with no flavor additive, but subtractive by helping remove sulphur in the spirits 2. Additive flavor with the layer of wood under the char
30
Can a toasted cask reduce sulphur?
No only charred barrels
31
What size casks mature faster and why?
Smaller barrels since they have higher surface area
32
What does flavor depend on with casks?
1. Cask Type 2. Ages 3. # of times used 4. If it is specialized finishing cask
33
What casks have the best flavor?
New casks
34
What does Bourbon require?
New, Charred Oak Barrels (used once)
35
What is the plus/minus for used casks?
Minus - lose flavor compounds Depends on spirits/wine how the next spirit reacts Plus Subtractive for evaporation and oxidation Some flavors from previous spirit/wine may carryover
36
What is a finishing cask?
When a spirit is moved from one cask to another for a short period at end of maturity.
37
What is the challenge with finishing casks?
Expensive and labor intensive | Used specifically to influence the flavor
38
What is Fill Strength?
Alcohol strength of spirit filled in the cask
39
What is the typical alcohol strength of a double pot still?
70%
40
What is the strength of a continuous column still?
90% ABV
41
What is the typical Fill Strength for storing spirits?
mid 60% ABV
42
Why dilute spirits before the cask?
Additive flavors tend to be more soluble in water than alcohol Adding water extracts flavor more efficiently and develops mature character quicker And requires less dilution at bottling meaning less reduction of additive flavors (at bottling since you would be further diluting the additives from oak)
43
What is a dunnage?
Traditional small warehouse to mature spirits | 2-3 casks on side
44
Where are majority of casks held today?
Large warehouses
45
What is the primary role of a warehouse?
Lee[ cask dry in an environment where the liquid can integrate with the wood.
46
What is racked storage?
Casks stored on their sides | Honeycomb structure
47
What is palletized storage? Pros/Cons
``` 6-8 cask per pallets / 7-8 pallets high Stored upright Pros - economical - more casks in same space Cons - lose 12% surface area Hard to get to casks ```
48
When are additive flavors extracted more rapidly?
At higher temperatures
49
When is more alcohol lost than water?
Cool and humid conditions "Angels share"
50
What climate causes alcohol strength to increase?
Warmer and drier conditions - water evaporates
51
What is not usual in warehouse?
Heating and cooling
52
For large brands what makes sense from a maturing standpoint?
Doing sensory analysis maynot be practical so based on history, set maturation times
53
When maturing which reactions processes take place earlier of later?
Generally, additive are highest in early stages of storage later leveling off. Subtractive reactions are over time when compounds are being transformed.
54
What is a major consideration for reusing casks?
Storage - cannot let mold or bacteria inside | Additive and subtracted reactions decline every use
55
What does regeneration do to a cask?
Removes the internal surface and reheat treatment Primarily to bring out lignin Naturally present wood flavors are not regenerated.
56
What are ways to add flavors without casks?
1. Toasted Oak Chips 2. Added flavoring 3. Filtration through char
57
Why toast oak chips and use them in the first place?
Bring out Lignin Cheaper High surface area - for additive flavors BUT you dont get other flavors like oxidation
58
Why are flavorings used?
Mimic cask maturation eg vanilla or chemical food additives.
59
What is an example of simulate subtractive flavoring?
Filter through char | Eg Tennesse Whisky has to be filtered through maple charcoal. Mellows whisky
60
Why blend and how to do it?
Quality control 2 types: 1. Mixing casks from same distillery 2. Mixing from different sources - eg Scotch
61
What is the biggest challenge of blending?
Inventory management & not a fixed recipe
62
What type of water is used for reduction?
Demineralized water because calcium needs to be removed since it reacts to Oxallic Acid from the wood. forms Calcium Oxalate Crystals
63
What are Calcium Oxalate Crystals?
crystals formed when the wrong water is used. Calcium reacts with Oxalic Acid from wood
64
Why is Caramel used as an additive?
For colouring not flavor | Used to make consistent color batch to batch or to make it look like it was matured in wood
65
What causes haze?
Long chain esters produced by yeast | Insoluble at low ABV and Low temps
66
How to get rid of haze?
Chilled filtration since long chain esters are insoluble at low temps and low ABV easy to remove
67
How does chilled filtration work?
``` Spirit is reduced water Chilled to 2-4°C Haze formed Run through a filter Flavor compound not impacted since much smaller than long chain esters ```
68
If a producer does not want to cold filter what are the options?
Higher bottle strength of 46% ABV or higher
69
Why is Filling Temperature important?
Volume changes at different temperatures
70
What is the Fill Temp in the US?
15.6° C (60° F)
71
What is the Fill Temp in the EU/UK?
20° C
72
Quercus Robur | Quercus Petraea
French Oaks

IBD General Certificate (52 decks)

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