The particular buttery aroma found in whiskies is due to the presence of a chemical called diacetyl. The pure chemical is irritating and pungent, but when diluted to the correct level it manifests the alluring aroma of warm melted butter. If you hunt for this note in a Whisky which is known to have a buttery note you will detect it in a single sniff - but you may miss it on a second sniff.
Diacetyl strongly manifests a particular aroma phenomenon and so we take this opportunity to remind you of this general property – the often huge change of an aroma with concentration. If there is too much of diacetyl in a Whisky or Beer it can manifest itself as an off-odour which spoils the flavour and aroma profile.
There is something else you may notice if you have this Aroma from our Whisky Aroma Kit on an Aroma Strip for a few minutes – you might find that the whole room fills-up with a wonderful buttery aroma! In such cases it is real pleasure to go outside of the room to clear your nose and then return with your nose poised to detect a hint of delightful warmed butter hanging in the air!
See our Whisky Aroma Kit for more information.