## 3 Results and Discussion
### Identification of Aroma Compounds
The strong _fruity_ impression of Kini reported by sensory analysis might reflect the presence of the fruity smelling odorants (_E_)-2-hexenal, and an unidentified compound at RI 1142 on DB-FFAP, whereby the first compound was present at identical FD in both gins, whereas the other two were higher (at least twice as high) in Kini than in Gspusi. The _soappy_, _coriander-like_ impression was rated similarly in both gins, yet the soapy compounds octanal and \(\gamma\)-terpinene were present at higher FD factors in Kini (FD \(\geq\)2048 and FD 1024, respectively) than in Gspusi (FD 128 and FD 4, respectively). Similarly, the intensity ratings of the _anise-like_ and _eucalyptus-like_ notes in the two gins were not significantly different, yet the anise-like compounds estragole and _trans_-anethole were present at higher FD factors several times higher in Kini. In general, differences in the FD factors of individual aroma compounds of the two gins are likely associated with the use of diverse individual botanicals during gin production. Additionally, however, it is a well-known phenomenon that complex odorant mixtures may have suppressive, synergistic or additive interactions, leading to unpredictable effects. As such, although the presence of individual aroma compounds at high FD factors certainly elicit strong odor impressions, specific notes of complex mixtures cannot be solely represented by their single constituents [33; 34; 35]. Overall, terpenes and terpenoids were found to be the dominant odor-active compounds in the Kini and Gspusi gins. These classes of compounds are mainly formed in plants via the mevalonate pathway [36] and are well known aroma-active constituents in a large variety of essential oils from different botanicals used in gin production (Table S2), including juniper, citrus fruits and ginger. Comparing the gins, approximately 40% of the substances identified had higher FD factors in Kini than in Gspusi, which can be explained by the greater number and variety of botanicals used in the production of the former. By comparison, the saturated and unsaturated short chain aldehydes, including odorants such as hexanal, (_E_)-2-hexenal and (_E_,_E_)-2,6-nonadienal, are mainly formed by the degradation of fatty acids. Oleic, linoleic and linoleic acid are especially susceptible to autoxidation, which leads to the formation of unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, and subsequently saturated aldehydes [37]. In relation to the present study, FD factors of related compounds were either similar for both gins or higher for Kini with the exception of (_E_)-2-decenal. Citrus fruits are most likely the main source of the aldehydes found in the two gins, so differences in their respective potencies might be a reflection of different amounts used in the production of Kini and Gspusi. The compounds eugenol and estragole, detected in both gins, are phenylpropanoids that are formed in plants via the shikimate biosynthetic pathway with phenylalanine as an intermediate [38; 39]. Phenylpropanoids are also a common component of essential oils, besides terpenes, and represent the majority of naturally occurring phenolic phytochemicals or their precursors [38]. Botanicals with high amounts of phenylpropanoids were used in the production of Kini (botanicals listed in Table S2 in the Supplementary Material), which might explain the presence of these compounds in this gin, especially eugenol, which was present at the highest FD factor (\(\geq\)2048).