When science meets scotch

It’s turning into math and sciences day here in Fat City, but America has been lagging in those areas, so we figured it couldn’t hurt to contribute. And as long as you’re learning about science, it might as well be about something useful: like scotch.

It’s a worthy subject for study. In 2008, Robert Hicks, master blender at the Ardmore Distillery, claimed that scotch has more than 800 chemical compounds, which is why it has such a complex flavor and aroma.

Scientific Blogging looks at how science is helping those who make delicious scotch and those who drink it (I love scotch, scotchy, scotch, scotch) make a better cocktail. It even explains why a server might insist on adding water to Scotch neat. The reason lies in the properties of dilution:

As you add water and reduce the overall alcohol level (making your solution less hydrophobic), you change the solubility of various compounds, some of which evaporate and thus come off as enhanced aroma.

But as LeVar Burton told you on Reading Rainbow, you don’t have to take my word for it. You can and should consider enrolling in the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. If ever there was an institution with a dropout rate of zero, it has to be this research facility.   

Science has already helped some scotch drinkers discover counterfeit vintages — earlier this year radiation was used to test the age and discover fakes among bottles that were up for auction.

And we all know scientists can party. Don’t you remember Real Genius?
 
[Image via Flickr: helga’s lobster stew]