Flavor vs aroma

[distill_smith]

It has been suggested to me (at the local homebrew store) that when distilling that no flavor come across with the ethanol only aromas (smells); due to the separation of the ethanol from water.

This is pretty hard for me to get my head around. If all of the flavor comes from the barrel/ wood, how do you explain the peppery nature of rye? On the other hand it kind of logical that the flavor would be left behind. Is what I think I taste really just a smell?

Can anyone point me toward the details / science of this issue, please?

[bluc]

Its plain wrong even a reflux still will carry some flavour..pot still carries lots flavour. Oak will also add flavour and sweetness..

[bluc]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congener_(beverages)

Esters are what we aim for in flavoured spirit.

[Hügelwilli]

Only volatiles come over into the distillate and only volatiles are detectable with the nose. But the volatility depends also on the abv. So while the abv changes during the distillation, the volatiles will come over sooner or later and more or less. In the end in the distillate you have only substances which were volatile at some point of the distillation.

But nonetheless it's possible that in a distillate is something you cannot smell but taste. This is because the diluted spirit has a fixed drinking strength. At this abv some of the substances are very volatile and some are almost no volatile. The volatile substances are detectable with nose and tongue, the non volatile ones only with the tongue, what causes misinterpretation of the flavor. For example acetic acid is much less volatile at drinking strength than diluted in water. So a spirit with much acetic acid will not smell like vinegar but taste sour. It will smell fine but taste harsh.
Here is the reason to make the tails cut not only by smell but also by taste.

[Dr Griz]

I'd add that smell and taste are a great deal more connected than most folks understand. Huge amounts of the flavors we detect are the result of "retronasal olfaction" (how's that for a $60 word?), where our limited perception of five tastes on our toungue (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory) combine with the much more complicated palate of aromatic compounds flowing up into our nose to produce the perception of flavor.