ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the authentication of other alcoholic beverages: spirits, beers, sake, and cider. Spirit drinks—often referred to as spirits, distilled spirit, or hard liquor—encompass a wide range of products, manufactured from an equally wide range of ingredients by alcoholic fermentation followed by distillation to increase the alcohol (ethanol) content. Vodka is considered to be the largest global category of spirits and has its largest markets in Russia and the United States. China is currently the largest global spirits market and China and India are the two fastest growing markets. Legislation typically defines spirits in terms of the primary ingredients, the time and means of maturation, the alcoholic strength at the point of distillation and at the point of sale, and the content of volatile substances. The research that exists for the authentication of cider has focused on methods to determine geographical origins because, like all alcoholic beverages, this has a major influence on the retail price.
