Working with Japanese drinks giant Kirin, researchers from the university uncovered some of the chemical compounds that contribute to the development of the mango-like aroma found in certain Scottish and Irish whiskies. Read More:Takehiko Hiura, a PhD student at Heriot-Watt, analysed 14 whiskies from Scotland and Ireland and found aldehydes and acetals, compounds common in whiskies, can increase tropical aroma properties. The study found one whisky contained particularly high levels of three key compounds: isobutyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde and isovaleraldehyde diethyl acetal. When the team spiked a whisky presenting as low for mango aroma with these chemicals, the fruity aroma increased substantially. The research was recently reported in the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists.