A Brandy Aroma Wheel for South African Brandy

Abstract

A Brandy Aroma Wheel was developed incorporating standardised descriptive terminology (descriptors) for South African brandy aroma. The wheel comprises two tiers of descriptors with 18 first-tier descriptors giving a broader definition of an aroma, while the 75 second-tier descriptors give a more precise definition. Reference standards have been developed for the second-tier descriptors. Brandy aroma scorecards have also been developed for use with the Brandy Aroma Wheel. South African brandy is a blended product. A detailed knowledge of the aroma and flavour qualities of the individual components is an essential component of the skill needed to combine individual brandies into a recognisable standard product. These skills are found in a small group of experts scattered throughout the industry. These experts, normally working in small groups within a company, tend to develop company-specific vocabularies. This has led to the use of different terminology to describe the same aroma nuance. Company-specific terminology is often difficult for outsiders to understand. Such non-standardised terminology also reduces the value of brandy evaluation data, making the interpretation of research results more difficult.