Cognac Oil

#### Cognac Oil. **Cognac**** ****Oil,**** **also known as **Wine**** ****Lees**** ****Oil**** **or **Weinhefeoel**** **(in German), is a by product from the distillation of Cognac (Brandy). It is present in cognac to the amount of about 2 mg%. The aromatic substances contained in cognac oil derive partly from the activities of the particular yeast fungus used, partly from the type of grapes fermented. An oil can be obtained by steam distillation of the residue of grape tissue and fungus precipitate after fermentation (and distillation) of the alcoholic beverage. Water distillation is also applied directly to a slurry of the yeast residue in water. The aromatic principles in **Cognac**** ****Oil **are generally higher boiling esters of ethyl and iso-amyl alcohols, and they do not distil readily with the hydro-alcoholic mixture which is known as **Cognac **after proper maturing and ageing. The crude cognac oil may be redistilled to yield a very powerful aromatic which represents the maximum concentration of high-boiling esters from the cognac yeast precipitate. **Cognac**** ****Oil**** **is a pale yellow or greenish yellow, somewhat oily liquid of intensely strong, almost harsh-fruity, oily-fatty, yet green-herbaceous odor of outstanding tenacity and great diffusive power. The rectified oil is used in flavors and perfumes in trace amounts to give "lift" and fresh-fruity, natural notes, e.g. in liqueurs, fruit flavors, colognes, fougères, after-shave fragrances, etc. It blends excellently with ambrette seed oil, amyl salicylate, bergamot, coriander, galbanum, lavender, linalool, sage clary, styrax, ylang-ylang, etc. The average use level in flavors would be about 0.50 mg% (in aqueous medium) and the Minimum Perceptible is 0.05 to 0.08 mg%. In cognac proper, the flavor of the 2 mg% of Cognac Oil is partly masked by the presence of 45 to 56% of ethyl alcohol. When the cognac is diluted with water, it smells stronger of cognac oil. See also **Rum**.