Beer brands

Beer Country
Peroni Italy
Carlsberg  Denmark
Kingfisher India
Heineken Netherlands
Guinness Ireland
Budweiser USA
Corona Extra  Mexico
Fosters Australia

National Drinks
Beverage Country
Cachaça Brazil
Gin England
Tadi  India
Tequila Mexico

Sources of fermented beverages

Beverage Source
Umeshu Plums
Mead Honey
Calvados(French, brandy) Apples

Sake
Styles Characteristics
Mirin Sweet
Toso Dark color, aged in wooden casks
Nigori Semi refined
Seishu lightly bitter
Ama-kara-ping lightly bitter , delightful effect

Gin
Styles Information
London Dry Gin Base spirit distilled to completely neutral spirit - 96% alcoholic
volume, patent still, all flavours added through distillation, natural
plant materials, nothing synthetic, can have nothing added after
distillation, except for water and a tiny amount of sugar. Distinctive
flavours of piney juniper and feint lemon zest
Holland or Dutch Gin Genever, juniper berrys in Dutch, grains like rye, malted barley and
corn,distilled twice- pot still with juniper berries and other aromatics
added in second distillation, less hint of juniper berries when
 compared to London dry gin Peppery and floral palate entry with
hints of soft fruits, tangy juniper oil, pepper and coriander seed.
Finish: Long, spicy finish with berry fruits.
Plymouth Gin Plymouth, England, slightly fruity, full bodied and more aromatic,
palate is creamy and unctuous. Early on citrus oils and
mild sweetness hold court, before the flavor unfolds
Old Tom Gin Sweeter than London dry gin, less botanical than any other gins ,
lighter, maltier, softer

Sloe Gin British red liqueur, gin and sloes, alcohol content between 15 and 30

percent by volume
Lemon and orange gin Made by steeping the peel of the fruits in gin for a period of 8-10
weeks
Cold compounded gin Low-grade neutral spirit stirred with juniper-flavoured essence

Tequila
Style Ageing period Characteristics
Blanco Rested no more than 60 days Silver/ white- clear spirit, The
in stainless steel tanks if they flavor is agave forward, with
are aged at all notes of pepper and citrus
with a spicy finish

Oro Oven (young) or oro (gold), Typically not 100 percent

often unaged agave, mixto., colored and
flavored with caramel, oak
extract, glycerin, syrup, and
other additives

Reposado Reposado (rested) tequilas are The barrels mellow the flavors

aged in wood casks for a
minimum of two months;
many from three to nine
months
of a blanco and impart a soft
oak flavor while giving the
tequila a light straw color, can
have notes of oak, vanilla, and
caramel

Anejo Old , aged, in white French oak  Smooth flavor and notes of
or used bourbon barrels,  oak, vanilla, and caramel. 18
minimum of one year, could months and above -To
be aged between 18 months produce a dark, very robust
and three years spirit

Cider

Style Characteristics
Scrumpy Dry, clear, pale golden colour
with a tiny white head, aroma
of apples ,light tannins.
Keg cider Pasteurised,Filtered,Star bright
,usually
 sweetened,Carbonated
Bottle cider Pasteurised,filtered, Brilliant,
Sparkling- in tank
Champagne cider second fermentation in bottle,
lower sugar and a higher
alcohol content , tart and
bubbly

Rum
Overproof:more than 50 percent alcohol by volume
Silver rum:white rum/light rum. Filtered after aging to remove color
Gold rum: Amber color. Aged in wooden casks for a per-iod that gives an amber colour and sweeter,
richer flavour
Dark Rum: Has a strong and pungent flavor. It gets its dark brown colour from wood, caramel,
and /or residual molasses, Aged in charred whiskey barrels
Spiced Rum: Dark in colour, flavoured and coloured with spices such as cinnamon and cloves and
caramel
Flavoured Rums: Flavored with fruits, such as orange, lime, apricot, plums, banana, coconut, etc

Examples of liqueurs

Liqueur Flavour
Benedictine Herbal
Chartreuse Herbal
Cointreau Orange
Triple Sec Orange
Grand Marnier Orange
Cointreau Orange
Kahlua Coffee
Tia Maria Coffee
Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate and vanilla
Amaretto Almond
Sambuca Anise

Whisky

Whisky -based on origin

Scotch Whisky : Distilled at distillery in Scotland , malted barley - grains of other cereals may be
added, peat drying process,double distilled- pot still, matured in oak casks- min 3 years
Irish Whiskey:Triple distilled ,Five years, No peat
Bourbon Whiskey:51% Corn , Rye, Wheat , and malted barley (70 % Corn +15 % Rye + 15 % malted
barley ). Patent Still
Matured in new oak casks – min- 2 years
Tennessee Whiskey:51% Corn , Rye, Wheat , and malted barley (80 % Corn +10 % Rye + 10 % malted
barley ) . Patent Still . Filtered through sugar maple charcoal before maturing removes congeners ,
matured in new oak casks – min- 2 years
Japanese Whisky: Scottish production model, have their own distinct characteristics

Reasons for each brand having different characteristics

Whisky is a distilled product- generally double or triple distilled.

 Water – distinctive set of minerals and characteristic, Claim that water taste changes
depending on the region , which influences the flavour

 Fermentation - key sources of flavour compounds. Yeasts produce alcohols and organic

acids, which together form esters, which are important and desired flavour compounds in
whisky as they produce various fruity and flowery notes. High fermentation temperatures
usually produce more acetate esters with mainly fruity aromas, but also medium-long chain
ethyl esters, which can give an oily and waxy texture to the flavour Additionally, ketones,
sulphur compounds and phenols are formed

 The copper pot stills and the production methods used for malt whisky -critical for many of
the differences between the malt and grain whiskies Shorter stills with less copper will
produce heavier whiskey with more oils, while taller stills with more copper will produce a
lighter tasting spirit two different shapes to the shorter stills. Two types of stills - set of
wider and set of narrower stills.  copper strips out some undesirable sulfurs from the
distillate. The more the ethanol interacts with copper the more these sulfurs get stripped
out. Second, the more surface area a still has the more esters, phenols, and fusel alcohols
get knocked off the vapor stream and fall back into the pot. Since wider stills have more
surface area than the narrow stills, they tend to produce a less oily and more refined spirit
than their skinnier counterparts.

 Malting/kilning process- use of peat which introduces its own distinctive flavour profile into
a whisky. Peat from different regions can even impart different signature characteristics to
the final spirit.
 Wood barrel aging- 50-80% of whisky’s overall flavour comes from the barrel aging process.
Wood imparts a lot of bulk flavours. “Smokiness” of peated whiskies tends to decrease with
extensive barrel aging. Whiskies are aged in various sized wood barrels-usually made of oak,
often having contained other spirits previously (e.g. various types of wine, sherry, other
whiskies, etc.). Wood is a complex natural product. Its tough structure keeps the whisky
protected from the outside environment – but only to a degree, since it does “breathe” (i.e.,
allows gaseous exchange with the environment). It imparts new chemical compounds into
the whisky – and helps filter out other less desirable ones.. And the extended time in the
barrel allows for interactions to occur within the whisky, forming new compounds and
breaking down others. The inside surface of the barrels are frequently charred or “toasted.”
The main role of this charring is to filter out unpleasant compounds in the whisky (especially
sulphur). But it also provides a barrier from the wood that alters the rate of exchange both
ways, favouring long-term storage for gradual aging (which experts seem to believe imparts
the best flavour profile). Charring will also help introduce new flavour compounds into the
whisky (e.g. various lignins)
 Blending- Blended whiskies are blends of single malt whisky and so-called “grain
whiskies”. So the product has better flavours. Consistency in final flavours.

Cognac
Designations Full Form Ageing period `Characteristics
on label
VS Very Minimum 2 Years Takes on tolor of wood,- light
Special” straw, yellow/amber color, punchy
on the palate with a youthful fire,
 lovely fruity aromas
VSOP Very Minimum 4 years, Sugar and caramel to sweeten,
Superior “fresher, livelier aromas of fruit,
Old Pale- tend to be smoother, with clear
Very notes of oak and spices
Superior
Special Pale
“Réserve”
or“Vieux”
XO  Extra Old Minimum 10 years Rich and luxurious with warm spice,
toffee, chocolate, nuts and dried
fruit
XXO Extra Extra Minimum 14 years Bright warm shades of amber,
Old vegetal to spicy

Armagnac - Oldest brandy recorded to be still distilled