Caramel: who of you can taste it?

Not me - I don't have enough experience to know, though, if this is the case. I feel lucky to detect wine that is corked! :-/

When I have Bourbon, I sometimes taste a crème broulee taste and sometimes a toffee or caramel taste - and coloration of bourbon is a no-no - so I am wondering if there isn't more at work here.

Not in the least, the dilution is extreme and the "taste" of caramel is basically vanilla, which comes into the Scotch through the wood in which it is aged in far greater concentration than would be possible through a tiny amount of colouring.

Personal belief is that there is as much chance of legitimately tasting "caramel" in a dram as there is of finding a witch amongst the female population of Salem Mass. And that the mentality of those trying or claiming to have done so is identically ..ah... perverse.

pavane

I would strongly suspect that the only way to detect it would be a straight-up side-by-side tasting with a colored and non-colored sample of the same expression...which is EVER so likely to happen...

Personally I don't think I can... but then again I don't know if I would recognize it if I did...

I do have a friend who is so lactose intolerant she was told to avoid beer and any spirt or soft-drink that wasn't clear because of the caramel that could be there..

She now drinks my non-coloured scotch when she doesn't want to sound like James Bond (Vodka-Martini, shaken not stirred)

Caramel flavours don't necessarily have to come about because caramel sugar was intentionally added. It is not an uncommon occurance for caramel flavours to be produced when barley is dryed. It can also occur during the brew particularly if the source of heat is concentrated in one spot.

We have to remember that there is a significant difference between caramel color and caramel flavor. The two are not interchangeable! Here's an interesting site on caramel color:

So the primary question is what is the typical dosing level that is used for caramel coloring? I suspect that it is so low as to actually be undetectable by all but the most sensitive "super tasters". Further, I'm guessing that even most so-called experts would be totally unable to identify the natural colorant if they were blind folded!

Nah, it's OK Serge, you can keep that one in your office... ;o)

Johanna

Except there are many New Age witches in Salem, Mass. But I get your point.

dans l'article c2545a$1ph1uv$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-97605.news.uni-berlin.de, Brett... à snipped-for-privacy@saltwells.dudley.gov.uk a écrit le 3/03/04 9:20 :

Right - not to mention the wood, especially when heavily charred. Loch Dhu anyone?

Santé

Serge

"Jeff Folloder - (TES)" wrote in news:c25888$1pq9gc$ snipped-for-privacy@ID-208597.news.uni-berlin.de:

I once did an experiment: I bought some caramel color at the super market, took two samples of the same whisky (a tamnavulin) and treated one of them with color (be careful, you will need only a few drops!). I was NOT able to taste any difference. Maybe you can.

Jens

Caramel is only a color additive, and tasteless. The sweet taste is a vanille-like and coms from the casks.

Therefore you cannot taste caramel, but you can name the color caramel (Aberlour A'bunadh)

Gerard, one of the Odd Fellows @