News Chemistry

Mixing gold ions into whiskey can reveal its flavor

The finding could offer master blenders a cheap, quick test for checking spirit quality

Two people sample whiskey from a wood cask

Whiskey distillers could use gold ions to determine whether a cask is ready to be bottled or blended.

John Fedele/Tetra Images/Getty

By Nikk Ogasa

- More than 2 years ago

A new kind of “gold standard” could soon permeate the whiskey industry.

Whiskey distillers typically age spirits in charred, wooden casks for years, allowing the liquor to gradually absorb flavorful chemicals released from the wood (SN: 10/31/19).