Whisky by Flavour - Fruit - Citrus
Citrus fruits grow on flowering genus trees in warm climates such as South East Asia, key examples such as lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit can also be found as flavours in Whisky.
The production influence for fruit aromas and notes comes from the creation of esters in the fermentation stage of production. The longer the fermentation the more esters are created which give fruity flavours to the new make spirit, the longest fermentations create an abundance of esters which give citrus and tropical fruit flavours to the new make spirit. In order to allow these citrus fruit flavours to remain through distillation a tall still with a Lyne arm above a 90-degree angle will create a lighter spirit which has gone through higher reflux and this will protect the citrus flavours the esters create with a higher likelihood of the flavour being present in the whisky after maturation.
The maturation influence for citrus fruit flavours can be challenging as a very reactive new or 1st fill cask could impart too much flavour from the oak or previous fill such as rich sherry notes. A less active cask such as an ex-bourbon cask with multiple uses would impart more mellow notes from the oak and allow the citrus flavours from the new make spirit to mature and develop. Alternatively, casks such as ex-white wine (especially ex Sauvignon Blanc) are not so commonly found in the whisky industry although some distilleries have utilised these casks can provide notes from citrus fruits such as lime and lemon.
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