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Brandy

Spirits & brews· spirit

Brandy

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

158 more go with it. See them all in the full library →

Salt and acid

Salt

Salt not measured yet.

Acid

Acid not measured yet.

Unusual pairings

Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.

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 brandiesMa 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 barrelsValcárcel-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 samplesValcárcel-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 tableMa 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/LMa 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 brandiesMa 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 tableMa 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 brandiesMa 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 tableValcárcel-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 spiritValcárcel-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 brandiesMa 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 brandiesMa 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 brandiesMa 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 brandiesMa 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