932 20 Alcoholic Beverages
During distillation the first and last fractions are
separated. The main distillate contains 60% by
volume or more alcohol. It is usually diluted with
water to about 40–50% by volume alcohol and
is marketed as clear, colorless brandy. The low
levels of benzaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide
which both contribute to the flavor are derived
from the enzymatic cleavage of seed amygdalin.
Kirschwasser, as is the case with Marasca from
Dalmatia or Italy, is often used as an admixture
in liqueur or cordial production (curacao, cherry
brandy, maraschino, etc.).
Plum brandy is produced from fully-ripe plums
in a similar way to Kirschwasser, though mostly
no seed crushing is involved. Besides Germany
and Switzerland (Pfluemli water), major pro-
ducers are the Balkan states, Czech Republic
and France. In addition to the common plum,
the highly aromatic yellow plum, mirabelle, is
also fermented. Mirabelle liquor is a desirable
admixture to liqueurs containing fruit extract.
Fruit spirits are obtained from fresh or frozen fruit
pulp or juice to which alcohol has been added
prior to distillation. Fruits and berries used for
this purpose are apricot, peach, bilberry, rasp-
berry, strawberry, red currant, etc. “Williams” is
a pear brandy made exclusively from the pear
variety “Williams Christ”. (E,Z)-2,4-Decadienoic
acid ethylester (formation, cf. 5.3.2.2) has been
identified as the characteristic aroma substance.
Pome fruit liquor is obtained from freshly fer-
mented apple or other pome fruits, either whole
or crushed, or their juices, without prior addition
of sugar-containing materials, sucrose or alco-
hol of some other origin. The alcohol content of
liquor from pome fruits is at least 38% by vol-
ume. Hydrogen cyanide plays an important role
in the chemical composition of fruit liquors of ei-
ther stone or pome fruit. The cherry liquor sold
on the market contains about 0.3–60 mg of hy-
drogen cyanide per liter of alcohol. In the same
range are the concentrations of benzaldehyde (at
least 20 mg/l) and the bouquet substances (about
7–15 mg/100ml). Plum brandy contains less hy-
drogen cyanide (0.6–21.3mg/l).
20.3.2.3.3 Gentian Liquor (“Enzian”)
Gentian brandy is a product obtained by distill-
ing the fermented mash of gentian roots, or in
which gentian distillate is used. The raw materials
are the roots of many plants of the gentian fam-
ily which, in the fresh state, contain substantial
amounts of sugars (6–13%) in addition to the bit-
ter glycoside-type compounds, such as gentiopi-
crin, amarogentin and others. The major produc-
tion regions are the Alps (Tyrol, Bavaria, Switzer-
land) as well as the French and Swiss Jura moun-
tains.20.3.2.3.4 Juniper Liquor (Brandy)andGinJuniper brandy is obtained from pure alcohol
and/or grain distillate by the addition of juniper
distillate or its harsh, raw brandy. The use of
juniper oil is uncommon. Juniper spirit is made
exclusively from the distillate of whole juniper
berries or from a fermented aqueous extract of
juniper. The berries of Juniper communisare
processed into brandy in Germany, Hungary,
Austria, France and Switzerland. Pure juniper
brandy is also used as an intermediate product for
the production of alcoholic beverages with a ju-
niper flavor as, for example, in Geneva gin. The
alcohol of this gin is obtained by distillation of
a cereal mash prepared from kiln-dried smoked
malt. Juniper brandy also flavors the Bommer-
lunder from the state of Schleswig-Holstein and
the Doornkaat of East Friesland in Germany.
Common gin is made from juniper distillates
and spices, and contains at least 38% by volume
alcohol. Dry gin has an alcohol content of at least
40% by volume.20.3.2.3.5 RumMajor rum-producing countries are in the West
Indies (Jamaica, Cuba, Barbados, Puerto Rico,
Guyana and Martinique) and also Brazil and
Mauritius.
Rum production in sugar cane-cultivating regions
uses the sugar syrup or the freshly pressed ex-
tract, often with the addition of such by-products
as foam skimmings, molasses, press-skimmings
and their extracts, and distiller’s wash (“dunder”),
the residue leftover from a previous distillation.
The sugar-containing solutions are diluted and al-
lowed to ferment spontaneously at a maximum