Pyroligneous acid (wood vinegar) smells intensely of cold campfire smoke and charred wood — sharp, acidic, and tarry with a phenolic bite. Underneath the acrid smoke there's a dry burnt-wood and creosote character, with faint leathery and vinegary facets. Used in trace amounts for smoky leather, oud, and incense accords.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 1220.
It is miscible with water and alcohol, but not with oils. It is also miscible with Propylene glycol.
The crude or filtrated Pyroligneous acid is used in the flavoring of meats, fish and other preserves, and to a lesser extent in flavor compositions for imitation Caramel, Butterscotch, Rum, Vanilla, etc. and in tobacco flavorings.
Pyroligneous acid extract is used as a 'smoke' flavor in such compositions, and finds end-use in meat and fish products only.
Pyroligneous acid is manufactured by destructive distillation of wood, preferably Birch wood, of which Sweden is a major producer.