Analytical methods for the determination of spirit drinks

This article discusses the results of a project funded by the European Commission (EC) Framework IV Standards Measurements and Testing (SMT) Programme to provide official methods for the determination of spirit drinks. The project involved four main partners and over 60 laboratories in the resulting validation studies that evaluated 11 analytical methods, of which 10 were subsequently validated in the four-year study. The methods tested were determinations for: alcoholic strength; total dry extract; volatile acidity; esters; “congeners”; hydrocyanic acid; anethole; glycyrrhizic acid; chalcones; total sugar; and, egg yolk. The majority of the validated methods have been adopted into, or are under discussion for, European Union (EU) legislation.