The Modern Bar Cart Podcast Episode 308 - Your Whiskey Math is Bullsh*t
Jan 28, 2026
A fiery audio essay dismantles the idea of assigning percentages to how much barrel shapes whiskey flavor. It contrasts machine chemistry reports with human smell and a palate proofing demo. It exposes how numbers bias tasting, explores market incentives, and urges tasting more openly to see flavor as emergent and personal.
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Episode notes
The Barrel Question Is Misleading
- Asking "How much of whiskey's flavor comes from the barrel?" is a poorly posed question that invites oversimplification.
- Eric Kozlik argues the question often serves experts' narratives more than consumer needs.
GC‑MS Measures Compounds, Not Taste
- GC-MS can identify and quantify volatile compounds in a spirit sample with high precision.
- Eric warns that machine measurements don't directly translate to human flavor experience.
Human Smell Is Multi‑Layered Interpretation
- Human olfactory processing transforms raw receptor data through multiple brain stages into meaning and memory.
- Eric emphasizes flavor perception is separated from chemical reality by many layers of abstraction.