Differentiation of Peats Used in the Preparation of Malt for Scotch Whisky Production Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
Barry Harrison1,2,4, Joanne Ellis3, David Broadhurst3, Ken Reid2, Royston Goodacre3 and Fergus G Priest1
1 International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
2 Scotch Whisky Research Institute, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, UK.
3 School of Chemistry and Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 7ND, UK.
4 Corresponding author. E-mail: barry.harrison@swri.co.uk
J. Inst. Brew. 112(4), 333–339, 2006 | VIEW ARTICLE
ABSTRACT
It is not known if peats derived from different areas of Scotland have distinctive chemical constituents that could impact on malt whisky in discernible organoleptic ways. Fourier transforminfrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy was used as a high throughput screening method to investigate discrimination of a large number of peat samples from six different geographical origins around Scotland. The data were analysed statistically (using principal component-discriminant function analysis) and the results showed a difference between peat samples from different geographical origins. Therefore, we have shown that FT-IR spectroscopy provides a quick and simple method for differentiating peat types.
Key words:
Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, principal component-discriminant function analysis, peat, Scotland.
Publication no. G-2006-1308-442 ©2006 The Institute & Guild of Brewing