2. Materials and methods
2.1. Production of Perique tobacco liqueur
The Perique tobacco leaves were obtained from Percy Martin Farms, Paulina, Louisiana, USA. According to the authors’ observations of the tobacco production process, the leaves were traditionally fermented. A full description of Perique tobacco production was provided by Rense (1970) and Leffingwell and Alford (2005). In short, the tobacco was harvested and cured via air-drying (Fig. 1), following which the main veins (or midribs) were removed by hand and the leaves were tied into bundles. These are pressed into a large oak whiskey barrel with heavy mechanical pressure being constantly applied via screwjacks (Fig. 2). The fermentation occurred over the course of approximately nine months, during which the bundles were constantly turned and the juices that seeped out of the press were reintroduced into the barrels.