Synergy Flavours is launching a natural whiskey flavour range and a whiskey cocktail flavour, designed for both alcoholic and low- and no-alcohol ready-to-drink (RTD) products. The new range has been created to support manufacturers amidst growing demand for cocktail bar-quality RTD options.
The range includes bourbon, Tennessee, fruity, and peaty whiskey flavours, as well as a traditional ‘old fashioned’ cocktail flavour. This flavour range offers manufacturers flexibility in developing authentic RTD products and allows customisation due to each flavour’s carefully crafted sensory profile. Each whiskey flavour has a sensory description highlighting the key flavour attributes, so developers can select the right profile for their beverage using this information.
Partnering with Synergy allows manufacturers to use the whiskey flavours alongside other Synergy solutions, including natural flavours, extracts and essences, to develop complex and premium cocktail bar-quality RTD products.
Vicky Berry, Senior European Business Development Manager at Synergy Flavours, commented on the launch: “RTD cocktails are becoming increasingly popular and, interestingly, we are seeing more activity in both non-alcoholic categories and beverages at eight per cent alcohol by volume (ABV) and above.
“For low- and no-alcohol products, the new portfolio helps our customers create drinks with flavours reminiscent of alcohol, replicating the sophistication of whiskey-based options that consumers enjoy. In beverages at eight per cent ABV and above, our whiskey flavours help manufacturers to reduce the amount of whiskey they require in their RTD cocktail, perhaps opting for a less expensive alcohol instead, while maintaining a premium flavour at a lower price point.”
Charlotte Spitzner, Flavour Research Analyst at Synergy Flavours, expanded on the science behind the new flavours: “Detailed analytical and sensory insights are crucial when creating distinct whiskey profiles such as these, as the chemistry of whiskey is complex with many different flavours and aromas due to how it is made. Our flavourists tasted and analysed whiskeys from across the globe, then our flavour team blended extracts and natural aroma compounds to achieve the perfect balance and profile.
“We’ve also developed analytical flavour pairing charts, which can be used to help our customers make informed flavour pairing decisions, to create products such as an impactful spiced Manhattan, Brazilian orange whiskey sour, or raspberry mint julep RTD, for example.”
While being designed predominantly with beverages in mind, Synergy’s applications team can help manufactures to use the flavours in different product types. Charlie Heath, Applications Technologist at Synergy Flavours, elaborated on this: “Manufacturers can experiment with our versatile whiskey flavours outside of beverages. Adding a bourbon flavour to a savoury sticky glaze works well or using the characteristic old-fashioned cocktail flavour in a dairy or plant-based chocolate mousse for notes of orange and oak packs a flavour punch. The innovation opportunities are endless.”