Whisky & the Science of Flavour

One of the great things about whisk(e)y is the incredible variety of flavours that can be found within different bottles, but have you ever wondered just how and why the process of fermenting and distilling grains can result in anything from bright, fruity drams to rich, nutty or intensely smoky drams?

We are excited to welcome sensory experts, Kami Newton of the Sensory Advantage and Andrea Albertino PhD, to the London Bridge Distillery School for a deep dive into the science behind the flavours of some of our favourite whiskies.

During their masterclass, Dissecting the Chemical Blueprint of Whisky, guests will encounter key congeners in isolation, such as selected phenols, esters, and aldehydes, before experiencing how they integrate within mature whiskies.

Rather than simply describing peat smoke, orchard fruit, or nutty oxidation as tasting notes alone, we examine the specific compounds that generate those perceptions and observe how context, concentration, and interaction reshape them inside the finished spirit.

This rare format allows participants to taste the molecular components that contribute to whisky flavours, alongside drams themselves, in order to gain a precise understanding of how fermentation, distillation, and cask maturation translate into sensory outcomes.

Crucially, the session also explores the cognitive dimension of flavour: how volatile molecules become neural signals, which the brain translates into what we recognise as flavour. The result is not simply a deeper appreciation of whisky, but a clearer understanding of how chemistry becomes perception.