Flavoring rum, vodka, whiskey, moonshine, RTD cocktails, hard seltzers, hard ciders, and wine coolers made with spirits or malt-based alcohol is second nature for abelei. Since 1981 we have worked on hundreds of projects to flavor such products.

In today’s marketplace, there are many such products using abelei’s flavors. Some of these products were developed by our customers’ internal R&D departments and others were the result of a collaborative development process between abelei’s lab and the founders/distillers of the brands. Whether you need only great flavors with suggested use levels or a helping hand with the development of such products, abelei can help.

If you are new to developing flavored alcoholic beverages, here is the general process for doing so with links to TTB requirements. TTB stands for the U.S. federal government’s Tax and Trade Bureau which regulates and collects taxes on products containing alcohol. A large part of this regulation focuses on the alcohol content and correct labeling of alcohol-containing consumable products.

Tips & Process for Developing a Flavored Alcoholic Beverage (FAB)

1. Establish Project Parameters for Your New Alcoholic Beverage

Key Questions: What Type of FAB Are You Developing? And, What Claims Will You Make on Your Product Label?

As with the development of any beverage or food product, the process should begin by establishing the parameters of your product which centers around the questions, “What type of flavored alcoholic beverage are you developing? And, what claims will you make on your product label?” Your beverage type will need to conform to the definition of existing TTB Classes and Types or, if it does not fit one of those, you may need professional advice on how to label your creative, new product. Depending on the type of alcoholic beverage you are developing, there are lots of TTB-regulations to consider. If you are not well versed in labeling regulations, we recommend paying a trained consultant a few hundred dollars to help you get it right. abelei can direct you to such qualified labeling consultants. As for label claims you may make, you should decide at the beginning of the process if your product will be labeled Organic, Natural, Natural & Artificial, or Artificial (Imitation). Also, does your product need to comply with the regulations of other countries in the Americas, Japan, Australia, Europe, etc.?

2. Define Parameters or Targets for the Sweetness, Acidity, Color & Flavor/Aroma Profile of Your New FAB

In pre-defining the sweetness, acidity, color, and flavor/aroma of your new product it is very helpful (some would argue “essential”) to have tangible targets. Are there current market beverages (alcoholic or otherwise) that demonstrate the amounts of sweetness and acidity, type and shade of color and flavor/aroma profile? If so, you should communicate these to your development partner so they can purchase enough of those products to reference during the development process. These will be used only as rough guides, and you can make your beverage delicious and distinctive by deviating from the target characteristics as you choose.

If your target product is your own concoction of various ingredients such as alcohol, water, juices, acids, sweeteners, etc. that forms a great tasting beverage, but may not be microbiologically stable, does not age well, or it costs too much to produce, you can still use your mixture as a target from which adjustment can be made to achieve an organoleptically desirable, stable and cost-effective beverage.

• Sweetness is measured by degrees Brix with one degree being equal to one gram of sucrose (table sugar) dissolved in 100 grams of solution (alcohol, water or a mixture of liquids).
• Acidity is measured in pH, which has a range from zero to 14, with 7.0 being neutral (not basic/bitter or acidic/sour). Each whole pH value is ten times more or less acidic than the next whole value. For example, a solution with a pH of 4.0 is 10X more acidic than a solution with a pH of 5.0. The lower the value, the more acidic the solution. The pH of plain water ranges between 6.5 and 8.0, depending on the presence of minerals or various impurities.
• Color speaks for itself but should be at least loosely defined at the start of the process.
• The Flavor/Aroma profile is up to you to define and the sky is the limit. abelei’s ability to manipulate a flavor profile is very broad and explains why we have several hundred different formulas of Strawberry Flavors alone.

3. Let the Development Begin!

With well-defined project parameters, the actual development of your new beverage can proceed quickly and with relative ease. Now it is time for abelei’s team of experienced creative flavorists, beverage developers, analytical chemists, and sensory scientists to put their heads together to develop first round prototypes. I say “first round” because it is a process that is guided by your evaluation, input/direction, and because it is very rare that the first prototype perfectly hits your target. In over 30 years of working with hundreds of customers on development projects, I can recall only two occasions when the first-round product went to market. But that’s okay, as adjustments to the various ingredients are expected and easy to make. Normally after 3-5 rounds of tweaking and tasting, an acceptable prototype is approved. From there it is a matter of completing the necessary government documents and filings to get everything ready for your first production run.

While there is a little more to the process that can be addressed in a blog article, we have covered the basics here and know that abelei can help with every aspect of the development process, either directly ourselves or in conjunction with trade partners.

Contact abelei to Initiate a Project or Request Flavor Samples

abelei hopes the above information is helpful to your New Product Development process. If you would like to initiate a development project with our team of professionals, please either call me, Troy Gooding @ 847-924-5855, or email tgooding@abelei.com. If all you need are free flavor samples with suggested starting use levels in your beverage base, please click here to complete and submit your on-line request for flavor samples.

With Flavorful Regards,

abelei flavors!