The Bulletin. 73 



It is well known that new whiskey is harsh, unpalatable and not fit 

 for use. The Government controls bonded warehouses where whiskey 

 is stored during maturation. It is stored in charred barrels, and it 

 was formerly believed that during this storage the fusel oil, or higher 

 alcohols, were either absorbed, eliminated or so changed by oxidation 

 or otherwise that the whiskey lost its harsh, unpalatable flavor. Pro- 

 fessor Shepard, of the Food and Dairy Commission of South Dakota, 

 says that the above theory is entirely wrong — that the percentage of 

 •these alcohols increases by aging instead of decreases. Jhe results 

 recently obtained by the leading investigators of the subject tend to 

 show that Professor Shepard is correct in his statement regarding the 

 effect of aging of whiskey on the fusel oil present. 



The raw, harsh taste of new whiskey is attributed by some good 

 authority to the presence of pyrrol, some alkaline and sulphur com- 

 pounds and phenolic bodies. The pyrrol is supposed to resinify and 

 the others are unstable and are oxidized during the process of aging or 

 maturing. 



It is evident that very marked changes take place in distilled liquors 

 on the properly aging or maturing of them, but, with our present 

 knowledge of the subject, it is safe to say that we do not know for cer- 

 tain what those changes are. 



What has been said of whiskey is largely true of brandy, except that 

 the latter is made from fermented fruit juice instead of cereal prod- 

 ucts. 



Samples Examined. — Under this head, samples were examined as 

 follows: Whiskey, 26; brandy, 3; gin, 1. 



Of the twenty-six samples of whiskeys examined, five were straight 

 whiskeys, properly aged; five were corn whiskeys, partially but not 

 properly aged ; five were new corn whiskeys, not aged at all ; two were 

 blends of old and new whiskeys ; six were compound whiskeys, and 

 three were imitation whiskeys. 



Of the three samples which were labeled and sold as brandy, one 

 proved to be an apple brandy, and two, No. 5269 (Peach and Honey) 

 and No. 5270 (Blackberry Brandy) were not brandies in any sense, 

 but were imitation cordials, adulterated with coal-tar dye. 



One sample of gin was examined, and, while it was made from 

 silent spirit, no adulteration was found. 



In these samples the amount of alcohol, solid matter in solution, 

 total acidity, esters and fusel oil present was determined. Qualita- 

 tive tests for tannin, coloring matter, etc., were made. The results of 

 the examination are printed in the table below. 



