Chemical and sensorial characteristics of traditional fruit spirits from Southeast Europe

Spirits have proliferated and become an indispensable part of most gastronomic cultures around the world. The production and consumption of fruit brandies, especially plum and grape brandies as well as pear and apple brandies, have a long tradition in the countries of Southeast Europe. The aim of this study was to evaluate 47 fruit brandies produced in small distilleries and industrial plants from five countries. The content of the most common volatile compounds (methanol, higher alcohols and fatty acid esters) and the sensory quality of the fruit brandies were analysed. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the concentrations of the main volatile compounds in the spirit samples and sensory evaluation to identify similarities or differences between the spirit samples based on distillery size. The methanol concentration in all samples was below the EU legal limit. Methanol concentration was highest in Williams pear spirits and lowest in grape pomace spirits. The PCA sample distribution confirms the good quality of samples from both small distilleries (SD) and industrial plants (IP), with some exceptions - samples with identified defects produced in some small distilleries. The results of the sensory evaluation show high sensory quality of fruit spirits from this part of Europe.