# The Impact of Terroir on the Flavour of Single Malt Whisk(e)y New Make Spirit
###### Abstract  
The impact of barley variety and its geographical growth location (environment) on the flavour of new make spirit was investigated to determine if \"terroir\" can be applied in the production of single malt whisk(e)y. New make spirits were produced at laboratory scale under controlled conditions from two different barley varieties (Olympus and Laureate) grown at two distinct environments (Athy, Co Kildare and Bunclody, Co Wekford) in Ireland over two consecutive seasons (2017 and 2018). The spirit samples were analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry olfactometry and descriptive sensory analysis. Forty-two volatiles were detected with eight deemed as very influential and fifteen deemed as influential to the aroma of new make spirit. Sensory attributes were influenced by barley variety, environment, and the interactions thereof over both seasons, with environment and the interaction of variety x environment having a greater impact than variety alone. Chemometric analysis of the olfactory and sensory data found that both environment and season had a greater impact on the aromatic sensory perception of the new make spirits than variety alone. Therefore, this study clearly demonstrates a \"terroir\" impact on the flavour of new make spirit and highlights its potential importance especially in relation to single malt whisk(e)y.  
terroir; GCMS; GCO; new make spirit; whisky; whiskey; barley variety; sensory evaluation; sensory panel +
Footnote †: journal: _foods_  
0000-0001-9993-3300-3300-3300-33000-33000-33000-33000-300  
Profiling the volatiles in a product provides information on the evolution of flavour compounds that potentially influence sensory perception. The standard approach involves extraction and concentration of the volatiles prior to separation and identification (qualitative or quantitative) by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS). However, as it is estimated that only a small portion of volatile compounds actually contribute to sensory perception [11], therefore, it is beneficial to use gas chromatography olfactometry (GCO) to determine those volatiles that are actually influencing sensory perception. Basically, GCO uses trained assessors to sniff the eluent from the GC column containing the separated volatiles. In effect, it uses the human nose as an additional detector, as the eluent is typically split between a mass spectrometer and/or a flame ionisation detector. In this way, individual volatiles can be identified and their aromas classified in real time. The aromatic contribution of a volatile compound to the overall aroma of a sample can be estimated by a range of different GCO methods [10; 12; 13; 14; 15]. [PERSON] and [PERSON] determined that 26 key odorants were responsible for Bourbon aroma out of a total of 45 volatile compounds detected [15; 16]. In another study, 34 out of 150 volatile compounds were deemed responsible for the characteristic odour of freshly distilled Cognac [17]. Although the flavour of aged and new make spirits are quite different, the most important feature of both is their volatile aromatic profile, which originates from the raw materials used, processing practices, and conditions. The concentrations of individual volatile compounds in new make spirit and their contribution to the total aroma were found to be associated to the botanical origin of the raw material [18; 19]. Recently, work by [PERSON] et al. found that the cereal crop imparted a distinctive sensory profile to beer, which was also directly attributable to its geographical origin and thus associated environmental and soil conditions [20]. Additionally, an environmental effect on the volatile profile of the new make bourbon was recently proposed [9]. This concept is well established under the term \"terroir\" in the wine industry [21], but it has not been significantly studied in other alcoholic beverages.