Whisky and Corks

The relationship of whisky and corks continues to be questioned and very few people know of its significance and how science works. While some enthusiasts remain baffled regarding whisky being corked and later leading to smelling and tasting cork taint in a high alcohol spirit like whisky, some openly support it for their trust in its tolerance. It is essential for whisky brand ambassadors to know their product, what they are promoting and what the science behind it is. Cork taint in whisky is a very misunderstood area while on the other hand, cork taint in wine is not questioned at all. Cork taint is the by-product of a bug commonly referred to as TCA – 2,4,6 Trichloroanisole and is a result of airborne natural fungi coming into contact with chlorinated phenolic compounds. Cork taints have come up to be known as deteriorated cork but they really just become contaminated through other materials that the liquid comes in contact with during transportation, production or packagin...