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Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Services, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
Nancy Fraley
Margaret Ayala, publisher of "Got Rum?" magazine, interviews Ms. Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Service, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
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Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Services, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
Nancy Fraley
Margaret Ayala, publisher of "Got Rum?" magazine, interviews Ms. Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Service, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
3 of 4
Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Services, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
Nancy Fraley
Margaret Ayala, publisher of "Got Rum?" magazine, interviews Ms. Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Service, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
4 of 4
Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Services, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
Nancy Fraley
Margaret Ayala, publisher of "Got Rum?" magazine, interviews Ms. Nancy L. Fraley, owner of Nosing Service, a distilled spirits consulting firm located in Berkeley, California.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Nancy Fraley for the first time at an American Distilling Institute (ADI) Conference in Louisville, Kentucky a couple of years ago. We hit it off great instantly. She was very pleasant and easy going. When I found out her role in the industry, I knew right away that she would be a great person to interview. So here we are, a couple of years older and wiser, still doing what we love. It is truly an honor to bring to you, our readers, this interview with a leading expert who is also female “gem,” always shinning like a sparkling diamond in a male dominated industry. I wish Ms. Fraley much, much success with her consulting business.
Margaret Ayala, Publisher
What is your full name, title, company name and company location?
My name is Nancy L. Fraley, and I run a distilled spirits consulting firm called Nosing Services, located in Berkeley,California. I am the principal of my company, and I work as what I call a “ghost blender,” formulation expert, sensory analyst, and teacher.
I know you have been offering “Nosing Services” to spirits distillers around the world, can you tell us a bit more about what these services entail?
Primarily, I work with distilleries- most often craft distilleries- on their warehousing, maturation and blending of aged distillates such as rum, whiskey, bourbon, and brandy. I also work with distillers on analyzing potential faults found in new make or white spirits, from rum, brandy, whiskey, eau de vie, grappa, tequila, gin, vodka, etc. I then help to remedy those faults. Quite often, I end up working for many of my distillery clients as a “de facto” master blender and quality control manager. Consequentially, I usually become very well acquainted with all the barrels of my long-term clients aging warehouses!
Do you feel you were born with an above-average sense of smell or have you solely developed your skills through training?
Yes, I definitely feel that I was born with an above average sense of smell. In fact, it can be rather freakish at times. For example, with some particularly intense scent memories and impressions, I can even remember what I was thinking at the time I experienced the scent, and if I was eating, what the whole dinner consisted of, what the weather conditions were like that day, etc. These experiences go back to when I was six or seven years old, and I am now in my mid-forties. Imagine a lifetime of such highly impressionistic scent memories!
I have augmented this natural ability by also studying a fair amount of distilled spirit aroma chemistry, oak chemistry and physiology, sensory analysis techniques,etc. Natural ability certainly helps, but one must always be practicing to sharpen one’s skills through scientific methodology.
What are some of the most common mistakes craft distillers make, regarding organoleptic/sensory evaluation of their products?
Quite often, the mistakes are similar time and time again. They usually originate from a variety of potential problem areas during the production process; for instance, sub-standard raw ingredients, water contamination, lack of cleanliness and sanitization of fermentation vessels, too high of a fermentation temperature or incorrect pH, a poor choice of yeast, imprecise distillation cuts, wrong matching of the particular distillates’ congener profile to the appropriate cooperage, under or over-matured spirits, and last but not least, issues with processing and packaging.
However, occasionally a client will send me a sample that truly mystifies me, and I have to do some serious detective work by researching the chemistry behind the aroma. This is where the real fun begins!
Have you developed methodologies for evaluating different spirits, or do you use the same approach regardless of what you have in front of you (rum, vodka, brandy, bourbon, etc...)?
Excellent question! Most of the time, I use a very similar methodology to analyzing distillates. More or less, one often finds many of the same issues across the spirit categories. For instance, I will find too much lactic or acetic acid, or too many unoxidized tannins or unbound solids from oak, etc., in the range of spirits I analyze.
Yet, some distillates do have their own unique issues. For instance, pomace spirits such as pear or apple can be notorious for having high methanol levels, due to the breaking down of pectin during fermentation. In the making of rye whiskey, dry clumps of ground grain can form what are known as “rye balls” in the mash. Bacteria can form in these balls, giving the rye whiskey serious off aromas. Rum can also have its particular issues, depending upon a variety of factors as well. Over all, I try to use a general methodology while also being sensitive to the special problems of certain distillates.
Most of our consumers have a preferred (or default) glass they use to consume their spirits, do you think this is a good idea? In other words, how much more (or less) enjoyment could they be getting from their spirits if they used different glasses?
Absolutely, as there is definitely something to consuming one’s favorite spirit in a preferred glass. In general, I tend to prefer a glass with a small bulb at the bottom, which tapers upward into a chimney, which in turn tames the volatile aromas that would otherwise be directed into the nose. If one finds that a particular glass enhances one’s enjoyment of rum or any other spirit, by all means, use it!
There is a lot of science behind what you do, what are some good books or courses that you’d recommend to those interested in improving their nosing abilities?
There is not a whole lot out there in the way of books that aren’t highly technical, at least of which I’m aware. That said, though, I really like Fermented Beverage Production, edited by Andrew G.H. Lea and John Piggott, as well as Alcohol Beverages: Sensory Analysis and Consumer Research, also edited by John Piggott.
I’m currently working on a book that will be a bit more accessible to most people with an interest in nosing. It will be geared primarily to distillers as a practical guide, and is primarily focused upon identifying & remedying faults in distillates, and looking at methods of quality control. However, I also hope to make it accessible to connoisseurs who like to “geek out” on such technical things.
I know that you’ve been to many aging cellars around the world, what are some of the more unique smells that you’ve found in them and can you find them in the bottled version of those spirits?
Oh yes, some of the most unique and interesting aromas I’ve experienced have come from the Armagnac region in southwestern France. In particular, there is a kind of prune aroma in this region that comes from the native prunes, what the locals call “pruneau,” that tends to permeate the local “chais” (aging warehouses). It is an absolutely rich, dark fruit aroma that taxes the superlative! And the locally grown prunes are often aged in sugar syrup coupled with Armagnac. It is a delicious treat, served to special guests. And you can actually smell this decadent prune aroma in the warehouses and casks, and taste it in the Armagnac once it is bottled. I’ve never quite smelled or tasted anything like it anywhere else in the world.
Also, sometimes in a brandy, and occasionally with other matured spirits, one can perceive something the French producers call “rancio,” which is essentially the aroma of the oxidized esters of fatty acids from the “lees,” or residual yeast. It has an almost Roquefort cheese aroma, mushrooms, or maybe even an oily nuttiness like blanched almonds or walnuts. It is something one can smell from the spirit in the cask itself, which then gets bottled. It is a very special and unique aroma, and quite unforgettable.
Are you currently working on any exciting projects? Are you able to share any details?
Well, although I’m under a Non-Disclosure Agreement and can’t discuss details, I am currently working on resurrecting a 122 year-old American whiskey that was a high-end best product in its day. The recreation of this whiskey is certainly keeping me on my analytical toes!
I’ve often said that the appreciation of rum can be influenced by one’s mood, do you agree? If so, how do you make sure your state of mind or mood is consistent when you review spirits?
Indeed, the appreciation of rum or any spirit is certainly influenced by one’s mood, as well as external factors such as time of day, season of the year, environment, the social context, etc. I certainly find that all of these factors come into play when I am consuming rum for pure enjoyment.
However, before I prepare to work with rum or other spirits, I make sure that I am in a well- lit, quiet, and peaceful place. Then I meditate for a couple of minutes before I begin to nose samples. By quieting and calming my mind, I find that my senses are not only more acute, I also feel more “objective” in my analysis. As one of my mentors says, “Good spirit makes for good spirits! ”
What are some of the more complex spirits you’ve encountered in your career?
That depends upon what you mean by “complex” ! As far as the mature, well -balanced spirits I have encountered, I have had the pleasure to enjoy and work with some truly superb rums, Armagnac and Cognac brandies, and whiskies.
If one means “complex” in terms of critical analysis, or creating absolute harmony and balance in the spirit, then I’ve found that botanically influenced distillates such as Amaro or gin can be very complex to work with.
If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?
They may reach me at nancylfraley@yahoo.com, or at my business at 510-316-6879.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Whether one is enjoying rum or other spirits for pleasure, or if one analyzes it as part of one’s profession, the key is practice, practice, and more practice!
Again Nancy, thank you so much for this interview and I wish you much success.
Cheers!
Margaret AyalaPublisher