WHAT’S IN A FLAVOUR
When we talk about flavour in gin, there are three different “sensory” systems at work:
Taste: Receptors on the tongue can detect sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami. There’s some evidence that humans may be able to detect other tastes such as calcium, fat or metal. On its own, ethanol simply tastes bitter, but nearly everything else we call “taste” in a gin is actually the result of another sense.
Trigeminal: The spiciness of capsaicin, the tingling of citric acid and the cooling of menthol are all perceptions registered by a separate chemical sensory apparatus called your trigeminal nerve. If you’ve ever described the flavour of a spirit as being “hot” in your mouth, this was your trigeminal nerve at work. Some of these characteristics are also described as “mouthfeel”.
We’re most familiar with scent through actively smelling with our noses. However, your nasal cavities are connected to your mouth and throat. When you eat or drink something, odour molecules volatilise (in other words, evaporate) in the back of your throat. Through a process called retronasal olfaction, your
