Culinary suggestion only; caramelization and Maillard chemistry must be distinguished. Bourbon does not supply equivalent sweetness, viscosity, alcohol content, or dose.
A culinary substitution recommendation, not a claim that bourbon and caramel are identical.
The caramel section lists bourbon among culinary substitutes. Its adjacent statement attributing caramel flavor almost exclusively to Maillard aromas is a source claim requiring correction, not Academy-endorsed chemistry.
printed p. 62 / local PDF sheet 253
Caramel — substitutes
2026-09-28: Fresh text and detailed render verification at PDF 253. Bourbon appears as a culinary substitute. The adjacent Maillard explanation conflates caramelization and Maillard chemistry and is not adopted. Verification concerns faithful source representation, not independent validation. Original source retains a material visual-layout gap.
September 28 — Audit Qualification
2026-09-28: Fresh text and detailed render verification at PDF 253. Bourbon appears as a culinary substitute. The adjacent Maillard explanation conflates caramelization and Maillard chemistry and is not adopted. Verification concerns faithful source representation, not independent validation. Original source retains a material visual-layout gap.
Verified excerpt record from The Flavor Matrix.
Evidence
The caramel section describes caramel flavor as dominated by Maillard-derived aromas and lists bourbon among substitutes with molasses, sorghum syrup, maple syrup, and coffee.
Locator
printed p. 62 / local PDF sheet 253
Research use
Use as a culinary substitution example, not as a claim that bourbon and caramel are equivalent.
Verification
Checked against the extracted text and sequential rendered review of the supplied local PDF on 2026-08-27. Linked to LIT-59 and CLM-52.