Validating authenticity, purity, alcohol content and safety are common problems in the lucrative alcoholic beverage market, particularly when pricing is dependent on origin, variety or alcohol content. Raman spectroscopy is stepping up to close this gap for Pisco, a premium Peruvian liquor, and has excellent potential to do the same for other spirits. This Application Note describes how one group at the Ohio State University is using 1064 nm Raman spectroscopy to distinguish between pure varieties and mixtures, and even identify the specific grape varietal.
