The influence of non‐volatile constituents on the extraction of ethyl esters from brandies

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Abstract
Large numbers of volatile and non‐volatile components have been analysed and quantified in the search for an understanding of alcoholic beverage flavour, but little attention has been paid to interactions between these compounds. The extractability by dichloromethane of ethyl esters from a series of Cognacs showed a variation which was loosely related to the level of wood‐derived components present. When added to a redistilled brandy, potassium chloride had little effect on ester extractability, but sucrose, tannic acid and an oak extract significantly reduced the amounts of ethyl esters extracted. When a brandy was fractionated by high‐performance liquid chromatography, the fractions containing esters were associated with less desirable flavour notes, suggesting that part of the maturation process involves a reduction in availability of compounds giving rise to such characteristics.