This gas chromatogram is an analytical look at the congeners, or compounds, in your Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey Seventh Edition, before and after aging. As evident in the graph, the chemical composition changes during maturation creating complexity and texture. This is your whiskey’s scientific “fingerprint.” These changes are primarily the result of three types of reactions in the barrel.

There is the addition of compounds extracted from the wood categorized as Furfurals (toasty, creamy), Aromatic Aldehydes (vanilla), Volatile Phenols (smokey, spicy) and Lactones (buttery, coconut flavor). The “breathing” of the barrel allows oxygen to react with components in the spirit to create fruity notes through esterification. Finally, the loss of the most volatile compounds through evaporation causes the more complex flavors to be concentrated.

Your Roaming Man was bottled at “cask strength,” meaning it was transferred directly from the barrel to the bottle without the addition of water. “Straight” means there are no additives or coloring, which are often included in other whiskeys. Rye grain is responsible for the intense spice creating this remarkably bold spirit. Now… sip wisely.