eugenol (and isoeugenol ) is a colorless or pale yellow liquid with the smell of cloves. It is extracted from essential oils of spices such as clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon as well as from heated lignin, itself a polyphenol found in oak and other woods. See essential oils. Poorly mixable in water, eugenol is highly soluble in higher-proof solutions of alcohol and water and hence often imparts its spicy and balsamic aromas to oak-aged spirits such as whisky, rum, and brandy.
“Eugenol.” American Chemical Society. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/molecule-of-the-week/archive/e/eugenol.html (accessed April 21, 2021).
By: Doug Frost