Cork Taint

[Deleted User] · November 29 2016 at 10:20PM

Anyone else had a bottle of whisky contaminated by TCA? I have only encountered one such bottle. It reminded me of being in an old, musty, abandoned building with a leaky roof. :frown: I have seen many darkened, discolored corks that caused no problems, but, strangely, the cork on this tainted bottle appeared to be perfect.

bedlamborn · December 3 2016 at 3:02PM

@Carlton
Never had a bottle of bad whisky due to cork. Only some wine bottles that were mouldy and rotting.

horst_s_2 · December 6 2016 at 10:00AM

@Carlton
Yes! I've got quite a few of them. After smelling on such a cork there is no chance to taste another whisky that evening. My nose receptors are spoiled for the rest of the evening. TCA is so sticky. Incredible.

[Deleted User] · December 7 2016 at 1:56AM

@horst_s

I have read that filters containing polyethylene are available for commercial-scale removal of TCA in the wine industry. Common kitchen plastic wrap is made of polyethylene, so I might give it a go if I run across another bad bottle.

[Deleted User] · December 7 2016 at 5:56AM

@Carlton

I wish those who make the decisions regarding bottling would consider switching to synthetic cork and/or plastic screw cap. With all of the issues intrinsic to natural cork (TCA, cork breakage, bottle leakage), it doesn't seem to offer much benefit over the alternatives.

I prefer a high quality plastic screw cap (like those used in the W. L. Weller line of wheated bourbons).

The "Stelvin" aluminum screw cap has a tendency for the threads to strip if you twist a little too forcefully when closing. The Scotch blends typically use this type of closure (Johnnie Walker, Teacher's, The Famous Grouse, etc.) along with some bourbons (especially Jim Beam).

horst_s_2 · December 13 2016 at 8:18AM

to_e_or_not_to_e said:

@Carlton

I wish those who make the decisions regarding bottling would consider switching to synthetic cork and/or plastic screw cap.

There are some wine bottlers out there, which switch to 'corks' out of glass with an industrial o-shaped sealing. You have to do something like this to prevent degrading a whisky marketing-wise cheap with an industrial high volume screw cap.

Because the amount of whiskys with TCA is so low (1:2'000) changing to glass would bring upheaval to the connoisseurs, which do not know about this problem in majority.