Artificially colour

  • DaFin
    Topic creator
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    Joined: 23.05.2016Posts: 103CollectionDaFins CollectionRatings: 15

    Hi,

    The caramel that some expressions have on it to get a darker colour, just give them colour or also give them sweet flavour?

    So is really caramel (cooked sugar) or is just caramel colorant from the chemistry industry?

    Thanks.

  • [Deleted User] Joined: 26.08.2016Posts: 0CollectionEmpty Bottle ClubRatings: 160
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    The colorant used in whisky is E150a, and it is, as you suggested, prepared by heating sugar. The industry says that the taste can't be detected, but some people would argue with that view, especially at high concentrations (i.e. think orange marmalade glow). My biggest gripe with E150a is that it obliterates any chance of determining the relative cask influence by viewing the whisky in the bottle.

    Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets. (Ron Swanson)
  • horst_s_2 Administrator horst_s_2 Joined: 01.07.2014Posts: 507Ratings: 661
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    "DaFin" wrote:
    So is really caramel (cooked sugar) or is just caramel colorant from the chemistry industry?

    There are several sorts of E150 on the market. I avoid strictly the 150b, c, d. d is most often seen in brown lemonade (coke). It is very cheap to produce.

    Sprit Caramel is equivalent to E150a and is produced in a more or less natural way by cooking starch/sugar.

    I was only once able to taste the Spirit Caramel in this Cu Dhub whisky.

    I did experiments with caramel as well but was not able to smell a difference with the little amounts needed.

    Kind regards, Horst Luening, Master Taster, Whisky.com
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