More than one friend has told me that he can't drink good or bad, he can only drink spicy, and this alcohol content is spicy when it is high, and it is not spicy when the alcohol content is low.
Is this statement correct? In fact, whether the liquor is spicy or not is not directly related to the alcohol content.
The alcohol itself is slightly sweet
The scientific name of alcohol is ethanol, and the real taste of pure alcohol is slightly sweet, and it has nothing to do with spicy (Special reminder do not taste disinfectant alcohol, industrial alcohol and edible alcohol are not the same, if you want to try it, you can try edible alcohol
The alcohol content only indicates the amount of ethanol in the liquor, which is generally between 40% and 60%. The higher the alcohol content, the greater the concentration of the liquor, but it does not mean that the spicy taste is stronger, for example, some alcohol blended wines, drinking is very smooth, very soft, easy to drink, and does not feel very spicy.
I also tried a 68% liquor, which is not too pungent in the mouth, and it is not a little spicy at 52%. Therefore, the alcohol content is not the essential reason why baijiu is spicy or not.
The spicy taste is more ** than aldehydes.
The composition of liquor is very complex, in addition to the most abundant ethanol, water, there are many acids, lipids, etc., in a variety of flavor liquor has been found so far in a total of 322 kinds of flavor components, and the substances that make people feel spicy are mainly aldehydes.
Aldehydes are an organic compound in liquor, mainly acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, valeraldehyde, etc., their molecular structure contains a carbon atom and an oxygen atom, this structure makes aldehydes irritating, can stimulate people's tongue, throat and nasal cavity, and produce a spicy feeling.
The content of aldehydes is affected by the raw materials, process, storage and other factors of liquor, generally speaking, the higher the content of aldehydes, the stronger the spicy taste of liquor.
Spicy doesn't mean there's something wrong with the wine.
Spiciness is not necessarily a defect of baijiu, but a style of baijiu. Different baijiu have different levels of spiciness, some baijiu deliberately pursues spiciness, while others avoid spiciness. The quality of spiciness, depending on personal preferences and habits, also depends on whether the spiciness, in harmony with other aromas of liquor.
Generally speaking, a moderately spicy liquor can increase the irritation and vitality of the liquor, making people feel full of strength, while a liquor with too strong spicy taste will mask other aromas of the liquor, make people feel that the liquor is inferior, and affect the quality of the liquor.
However, with the changes in consumer taste over the years, more and more consumers are pursuing a soft and soft taste, so various wineries are also actively improving their processes and fine-tuning the taste to adapt to the market. For example, Wuliangye Puwu, in the past few years, the mouth felt a lot of criticism, after the eighth generation of Puwu was introduced to the market, its taste has been greatly improved, and it has also won general praise from consumers.
Finally, we must understand that it is impossible for liquor not to be spicy at all, aldehydes are one of the main flavors of liquor, there are really no aldehydes, and there is no such fragrant taste. The spiciness of baijiu is the characteristic of baijiu, and it is also the charm of baijiu, as long as the right amount is moderate, you can taste the beauty of baijiu.