Printed from smellbook.com/smells/nutmeg. This printout keeps the entry for Nutmeg itself: its description, reference card, Connections, questions, evidence, related smells, record details, states, names and citation. It leaves out your own notes, the map, the lists of paths, routes, stories and fragrance directions, and the lists headed “Also linked to” (other entries that share its place or material) and “Linked from”; they are on the page online. The entries this one links to are still printed under Connections and Related smells.
Categories and types group entries for browsing; they are editorial, not evidence. How smells are grouped.
A warm dry spice smell with woody, sweet and softly peppery character.
Its type, Source, means the smell is named after “a physical origin that can contribute a smell”; it is not an evidence source, such as a study or a book. The origin page for Nutmeg (the food or drink, not this smell entry) lists every smell recorded as coming from it.
Nutmeg smells warm, dry and woody, with a gentle sweetness and a soft peppery lift that is rounder than black pepper. EDITORIAL
Named in the VERIFIED claims about this smell: not a list of what it is made of, and not its cause.
Links SmellBook records for this entry: what it comes from, molecules and related smells. EDITORIAL links are chosen by SmellBook editors and VERIFIED links come from VERIFIED claims. Nothing here is a ranking, and a molecule is not presented as the cause of the smell.
QUESTIONS ABOUT NUTMEG
Nutmeg smells warm, dry and woody, with a gentle sweetness and a soft peppery lift that is rounder than black pepper. Freshly grated nutmeg is fresher and more aromatic, while ground nutmeg from an old jar turns dusty and muted. It sits comfortably beside cinnamon and clove but is quieter and more delicate than either.
It rises from a grater over custards, rice puddings, eggnog and white sauces, and from jars and tins in the spice cupboard. Many people link it with autumn and winter baking and with spiced festive drinks.
Typical settings: baking, spice cupboard, dessert.
One VERIFIED scientific claim from one published source is recorded for this entry: Terpenes behind the characteristic nutmeg odour. This claim says only what its source supports, in the scope shown with it.
3 molecules are named in this claim; see the evidence for the role the claim gives them. Each molecule this claim names has only the role the claim states; one molecule is not the whole smell.
Nutmeg is a culinary spice profile; this page does not provide ingestion or dosing guidance.
Words that are easy to mix up: When does woody become smoky?, Is every warm smell spicy? and When is woody also resinous?
No historical source or heritage record is linked to this entry yet.
Answers marked EDITORIAL are written by SmellBook editors to describe the experience and add no scientific fact. Answers marked VERIFIED point to claims on published sources, checked against each source's own summary where one was available (each claim's page says how); what each claim supports is in its own text and scope.
Scientific evidence · 1 claim
Terpenes behind the characteristic nutmeg odour
Gas chromatography–olfactometry of nutmeg oils linked sabinene, α-pinene and β-pinene to the spice's distinctive note, and high odour activity values established the role of sabinene and α-pinene in imparting its characteristic odour.
Nutmeg essential oils and headspace volatiles from several extraction methods.
How this was found: Odour analysis with human assessors. People smelled the separated compounds or the material itself (for example gas chromatography–olfactometry, dilution analysis, recombination or a sensory panel). Source: primary study; sensory or perception work.
Suchandra Chatterjee, Sumit Gupta & Prasad. S. Variyar
Natural Product Communications
DOI 10.1177/1934578x1501000833Each molecule is named by the claim shown after it. Each molecule named here has only the role the claim states; one molecule is not the whole smell. About molecules in SmellBook
Links chosen by SmellBook editors, not a ranking.
Associations can vary strongly by person, place and culture.
PATHS FROM HERE
Each step is a relationship SmellBook editors recorded in the knowledge graph, named as it is published there. Paths are not ranked or personalised, and they do not mean the smells smell alike.
Each step is a molecule that a VERIFIED claim names for both smells, in whatever role the claims state. Sharing a molecule does not mean two smells smell alike.
MY SMELLBOOK · LOCAL ONLY
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WHERE THIS SMELL APPEARS
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IN FRAGRANCE & SPACES
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FOR RESEARCHERS AND EDITORS
Identity, revision history, corrections and how to cite Nutmeg.
CULTURAL: This entry's associations depend on context, language, memory or culture; its description and smell words are editorial. It says nothing about research or historical evidence; evidence for this entry is shown separately: VERIFIED.
How this entry is identified and named, for citing it or matching it with other records.
SmellBook SB-0157 — Nutmegsmellbook:smell:nutmeghttps://smellbook.com/smells/nutmegSmellBook. (2026). Nutmeg (revision 3, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:nutmeg. https://smellbook.com/smells/nutmeg@misc{smellbook_nutmeg_r3,
author = {{SmellBook}},
title = {Nutmeg},
year = {2026},
note = {SmellBook Public Atlas, revision 3, 2026-10-06, smellbook:smell:nutmeg},
url = {https://smellbook.com/smells/nutmeg}
}TY - ENCYC ID - smellbook-nutmeg-r3 TI - Nutmeg AU - SmellBook T2 - SmellBook Public Atlas PY - 2026 DA - 2026/10/06 ET - revision 3 UR - https://smellbook.com/smells/nutmeg N1 - SB-0157; smellbook:smell:nutmeg; resolver https://smellbook.com/id/smell/nutmeg ER -
The citation names revision 3 of 2026-10-06, so a reader can tell exactly which version was cited. Citing records what was read; it does not grant a licence.
Nutmeg is a culinary spice profile; this page does not provide ingestion or dosing guidance.
Editorial description expanded to answer what it smells like and where you meet it; independently reviewed.
Created 2026-09-22 · Updated 2026-10-06Dataset history In the SmellBook dataset since the first of three dataset releases of 2026-09-30.
No correction notices published for this entry. Corrections policyEVIDENCE MATTERS
SmellBook separates cultural association, community perception, verified evidence, prediction and experimental relationships rather than presenting them as the same thing. Read the evidence guide ↗ See the evidence coverage report ↗