Flavor← the wheel
Brandy
Spirits & brews· spirit

What it is
Brandy is a spirit distilled from fermented fruit, most commonly grapes, and often aged in oak.
What it tastes like
On the nose: whiskey, buttery, almond. Among its measured molecules: syringaldehyde, 1,1-diethoxyethane, ethyl lactate, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, vanillin.
What goes with it
- Oloroso sherryboth carry 1,1-diethoxyethane, whiskeycite
- Cognacboth carry ethyl lactate, butterycite
- Aleboth carry 1-propanolcite
Salt and acid
Salt
Salt not measured yet.
Acid
Acid not measured yet.
Unusual pairings
Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.
- Brandy + Lager
both carry 1,1-diethoxyethane, whiskey (12 of 338 carry it)
- Brandy + Anise spirit
both carry 1,1-diethoxyethane, whiskey (12 of 338 carry it)
- Brandy + Rye whiskey
both carry acetaldehyde, fruity (39 of 338 carry it)
Every one of its 17 compounds carries a paper the library can cite.
acetic acidaromaacidreads as pungent (PubChem)Measured in 35 of 338 ingredients.cite
101.8-130.3 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row 'acetic acid', Yantai columns only)acetaldehydearomaaldehydereads as pungent, fruity odor (PubChem)Measured in 18 of 338 ingredients.cite
21.9-24.1 mg per 100 mL of 100% vol. alcohol across the six aged Brandy de Jerez samples, highest in the new barrels — Valcárcel-Muñoz et al. 2021, Foods (Table 7, row 'Acetaldehyde', the six aged columns)1-propanolaromaalcoholreads as burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 22 of 338 ingredients.cite
34.0-37.8 mg per 100 mL of 100% vol. alcohol across the six aged Brandy de Jerez samples — Valcárcel-Muñoz et al. 2021, Foods (Table 7, row 'N-propyl alcohol', the six aged columns)vanillinaromaphenolreads as sweetish smell (PubChem)Measured in 12 of 338 ingredients.cite
3.8-5.8 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies, higher than all six Cognac columns of the same table — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row 'vanillin', Yantai columns only)phenylethyl alcoholaromaalcoholreads as sharp burning taste (PubChem)Measured in 41 of 338 ingredients.cite
6.3-7.2 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies, the lowest values in a table whose Cognac columns reach 31.9 mg/L — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row '2-phenylethanol', Yantai columns only)isobutanolaromaalcoholreads as sweet, musty odor (PubChem)Measured in 24 of 338 ingredients.cite
226.3-393.2 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row '2-methyl-1-propanol', Yantai columns only)ethyl lactatearomaalcoholreads as buttery odor (PubChem)Measured in 9 of 338 ingredients.cite
10.6-20.5 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies, against 3.9-8.4 mg/L in the six Cognacs of the same table — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row 'ethyl lactate', Yantai columns only)furfuralaromafuranreads as almond-like odor (PubChem)Measured in 33 of 338 ingredients.cite
8.6-13.0 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row 'furfural', Yantai columns only)1,1-diethoxyethanearomaetherreads as whiskey taste (PubChem)Measured in 8 of 338 ingredients.cite
29.3-32.1 mg per 100 mL of 100% vol. alcohol across the six aged Brandy de Jerez samples — the acetal of acetaldehyde and ethanol, and the third-largest single compound in the table — Valcárcel-Muñoz et al. 2021, Foods (Table 7, row 'Diethyl acetal', the six aged columns)syringaldehydearomaphenolMeasured in 6 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.12-1.59 mg per 100 mL of 100% vol. alcohol across the six aged Brandy de Jerez samples, not detected in the unaged wine spirit — Valcárcel-Muñoz et al. 2021, Foods (Table 5, row 'Syringaldehyde', the six aged columns)2-methyl-1-butanolaromaalcoholMeasured in 15 of 338 ingredients.cite
30.7-42.0 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row '2-methyl-1-butanol', Yantai columns only)ethyl acetatearomaesterreads as fragrant odor (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 338 ingredients.cite
488.3-814.3 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row 'ethyl acetate', Yantai columns only)isoamyl alcoholaromaalcoholMeasured in 43 of 338 ingredients.cite
562.5-679.5 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row '3-methyl-1-butanol', Yantai columns CVS/CX10/CX15 only)5-hydroxymethylfurfuralaromaalcoholreads as butter, caramel, musty (PubChem)Measured in 11 of 338 ingredients.cite
23.8-32.0 mg/L across the three Yantai brandies — Ma et al. 2023, Foods (Table 3, mg/L block, row '5-hydroxymethylfurfural', Yantai columns only)
Sources
- Ma et al. 2023, Foods
- Valcárcel-Muñoz et al. 2021, Foods