Esters, volatile compounds, and congeners are different but related concepts. Without some technical background, it’s easy to misunderstand what each measurement conveys. In what follows, I’ll provide some necessary background and then wrap things up with real-world examples and guidance.
Matt, I believe this is your best article yet. Quite informative of an extremely important subject, and just sophisticated enough to be educational yet light enough to be entertaining. Many thanks - Dave
Thank you, Dave. I very much appreciate your kind words about this. Some of my best works comes when I'm fired up to clear up a common misconception. Another such post is in the pipeline.
Matt, I work in 2 Independent “bottle shops” (alcohol & no/Lo alcohol retail outlets) on the Sunshine Coast in Qld, Australia. It’s a semi-retirement, rather low paying casual “passion” job that I love. I’m constantly researching numerous information sources to increase my knowledge on all things “booze & non-booze” to enable me to sell with authenticity & trustworthiness. Your posts and insights on all things Rum are absolutely and categorically the most authoritative, insightful and enjoyable reading I’ve come across in the booze media globally. Please keep up the good work & I’ll definitely be buying your book in the New Year. Cheers & thanks greatly for your passion and knowledge sharing 👏
Sometimes it feels like I'm shouting into the void, sharing content that gets relatively little attention in a world more focused on "quick hits" and "viral" images.
But then someone like you comes along and demonstrates for me once again that my writing efforts are having an impact among people who really care.
You deserve it mate. And those who seek “quick hits” are usually those that have the shortest attention spans! In my experience there are many people who appreciate your expert insights & opinions, we’re just not as active in the public domain like the attention seeking short attention span types …😉. Again, please remain passionate about what you’re doing and what you’re sharing, it is truly appreciated and respected by those that know.
Thank you for the clarification, There is a lot of terminology used in description of rum flavor and aroma profiles and unfortunately the terms tend to get conflated and used incorrectly.
"Congeners" in particular is a good example of this. I have seen many articles claiming congeners coming from wood in the aging process.
Thank you! I come from a physics and computer science background, so I know certain words have very precise meaning. I spent a lot of time behind the scenes validating that what I'm writing is technically correct.
Thank you. Much appreciated words. At the end of the day, I'm just an enthusiast who has more questions than answers. However, I seem to have a superpower for finding the right people who can help me better understand things.
Dosage is a term that Plantation uses to refer to their aged rum/sugar blend that they add to some of their expressions. And yes, it's different than dosage in the champagne context. It's been brought up. - many times. ☺
Matt, I believe this is your best article yet. Quite informative of an extremely important subject, and just sophisticated enough to be educational yet light enough to be entertaining. Many thanks - Dave
Thank you, Dave. I very much appreciate your kind words about this. Some of my best works comes when I'm fired up to clear up a common misconception. Another such post is in the pipeline.
Matt, I work in 2 Independent “bottle shops” (alcohol & no/Lo alcohol retail outlets) on the Sunshine Coast in Qld, Australia. It’s a semi-retirement, rather low paying casual “passion” job that I love. I’m constantly researching numerous information sources to increase my knowledge on all things “booze & non-booze” to enable me to sell with authenticity & trustworthiness. Your posts and insights on all things Rum are absolutely and categorically the most authoritative, insightful and enjoyable reading I’ve come across in the booze media globally. Please keep up the good work & I’ll definitely be buying your book in the New Year. Cheers & thanks greatly for your passion and knowledge sharing 👏
Thank you. Truly.
Sometimes it feels like I'm shouting into the void, sharing content that gets relatively little attention in a world more focused on "quick hits" and "viral" images.
But then someone like you comes along and demonstrates for me once again that my writing efforts are having an impact among people who really care.
You deserve it mate. And those who seek “quick hits” are usually those that have the shortest attention spans! In my experience there are many people who appreciate your expert insights & opinions, we’re just not as active in the public domain like the attention seeking short attention span types …😉. Again, please remain passionate about what you’re doing and what you’re sharing, it is truly appreciated and respected by those that know.
Thank you for the clarification, There is a lot of terminology used in description of rum flavor and aroma profiles and unfortunately the terms tend to get conflated and used incorrectly.
"Congeners" in particular is a good example of this. I have seen many articles claiming congeners coming from wood in the aging process.
Thank you! I come from a physics and computer science background, so I know certain words have very precise meaning. I spent a lot of time behind the scenes validating that what I'm writing is technically correct.
Thank you for this absolutely pioneering text. All the best for 2024
Thank you. Much appreciated words. At the end of the day, I'm just an enthusiast who has more questions than answers. However, I seem to have a superpower for finding the right people who can help me better understand things.
Great explanations but what about the danger for the human body to drink esters, is there a dangerous rate to not overdose ?
Great article, on the bottom of the last example label, what does dosage refer to?
Thank you!
Dosage is a term that Plantation uses to refer to their aged rum/sugar blend that they add to some of their expressions. And yes, it's different than dosage in the champagne context. It's been brought up. - many times. ☺
Great article. Loved the detail. Thank you
Thank you. These sorts of topics are my favorite to write about.