"Consumers, on the other hand, absolutely love to use it. The implication of "smooth" is simple; it suggests a product doesn't hurt when you drink it. It's such a sought-after quality that the distilling industry will do just about anything to achieve it. Some methods are respectable, like aging a whiskey for 15 years to file down its rough edges. Some are less so, like dumping in loads of chemical additives."
"Conventional wisdom and common sense would suggest that ethanol is what makes that ill-advised shot of firewater sear your mouth and throat so badly, but it turns out that's not the case. During the months of Covid-19 lockdown, Enriquez, a former telecom executive, says he and Montenegro, essentially on a lark, had the idea to dig deep into this question."
Voodoo Scientific developed a process that reduces the burning sensation of high-proof spirits, producing a more sippable drink. Consumers prize "smooth" because it signals a product does not hurt when swallowed. Distillers pursue smoothness via long aging or chemical additives, but those approaches do not fully eliminate oral burning. Investigation revealed that ethanol alone does not account for the harsh, painful bite. Journal searches found no clear identification of the compounds or receptors responsible. The founders pursued the specific oral receptor triggered by spirits and reached out to experts to probe the physiological mechanism behind spirit-induced pain.
Read at WIRED
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]