OT: Whiskey Education

[Jeffreauxdawg]

A few months back I posted a rec for Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel Reserve. I thoroughly enjoyed a few bottles since. This last one not so much. The first sip from the bottle was horrible. It tasted like soap. I poured the glass out assuming the glass had not been washed properly. A few days later I tried again and thought, maybe it was something I was eating. Tonight I want in again and was convinced I maybe farting bubbles in the morning it was so soapy.

So I got into the googles. Apparently:

When a spirit's alcohol-by-volume (ABV) is reduced too quickly and haphazardly, it can result in saponification. This is the hydrolysis of esters into soaps, or chemically speaking, fatty acid salts. Your booze tastes soapy, and there's no way to fix it besides starting from scratch.


It's called saponification. If it happens to you, immediately take the bottle back to the store and steer clear of the batch for a while. I unfortunately got pissed and poured it out before researching. I will send an email to Glenfiddich explaining the situation and see if they hook me up. I do have pics of the bottle and serial number.

Anyway, thought I would share. I almost posted a thread recanting my love for the Glenfiddich 14 since it suddenly tasted like soap, but decided to research first.

Maybe saponification is common knowledge, but I have been into whiskey for several years now and it's new to me.

 

[mcdawg22]

I have posted 12 ******* times on this thread but my garbage phone keeps 17ing up.
1. Cilantro tastes like soap.
2. Lagavulin 20 year tastes like peat Moss plus licorice plus Dale’s flavored charcoal. And this is coming from a guy who’s last name is synonymous with slaying a Scottish tyrant. Lay on MacDuff, and Damed be he that cries hold, enough.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

I love whisky as much as the next guy, but peated Scotch tastes like charcoal and NyQuil. It's horrible. It's literally the taste of Castro ashing in your Robitussin.

The Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel Reserve had that good American char taste I like. So long as the ******** don't turn it into dishwashing detergent.