THE RESULTS
JourneyABUNDANCE(x107 ) COUNTSGAS CHROMATOGRAPHY PAIRED
WITH MASS SPECTROMETRY
(GCMS)8 7 6 5 4 3 2 151015 20 25BADC
FETIME
(IN MINUTES)
AS TEST
PROGRESSEStimes. Far more diferences were shown
in the GCMS, so we chose to focus on that,
below. The X axis shows the time as the
test progresses. The Y axis is basically an
abundance counter: the higher the peak,
the more of a particular molecule there is
in the sample.
First, look at the huge spikes in the age-
matched sample that sat in Louisville.
“There are a lot of these large aliphatic
esters, such as (A) decanoic acid, ethyl
ester, which has a waxy, fruity, sweet-
apple smell,” says Leland Martin, an
author of the report. Another spike is
(B) phenylethyl alcohol, a common lo-
ral note in whiskey. The higher presenceJordi Labs analyzed two samples—Jef-
ferson’s Journey and an age-matched
control from the same batch that
remained in Louisville the whole time—
and the researchers performed two
tests: gas chromatography paired with
mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liq-
uid chromatography paired with mass
spectrometry (LCMS). “The GCMS is
really good at detecting things that you
might smell, while LCMS sorts out mol-
ecules that you might taste, although
there is deinitely some overlap,” says
James Woods, one of the scientists who
worked on the study. In both tests, spe-
ciic molecules tend to pop out at speciicof these elements in the control could
explain why it tastes younger than Jefer-
son’s Journey.
While these tests can’t show exactly
how the components of the bourbon broke
down during its travels, Journey con-
tains a more diverse range of aromatic
compounds, any of which are potentially
degradants of components in the control
whiskey. The chemicals that appear in
greater quantities in Journey include (C)
whiskey lactone, which gives whiskey a
creamy, coconut-wood lavor and is often
used as a lavoring agent in things that
are supposed to taste like whiskey, and
(D) isovanillin, which smells like vanilla.
Jeferson’s Journey also contains a
higher amount of (E) furfural, a chemical
with a woody, nutty, burnt-caramel la-
vor that comes from freshly charred oak
barrels and can be used to authenticate
whiskeys that have not been adulterated
with caramel lavoring. It has a higher
amount of (F) 5-methyl furfural, which
tastes like maple and grain and is formed
during both the Maillard reaction (the
browning of meat and baked goods) and
the caramelization of sugar.Control WhiskeyILLUSTRATIONS BY SINELAB
@PopularMechanics JULY/AUGUST _ 201 33