32. Liqueur

Liqueur is a spirit drink: having a minimum sugar content, expressed as invert sugar, of: 70 grams per litre for cherry liqueurs the ethyl alcohol of which consists exclusively of cherry spirit, 80 grams per litre for gentian or similar liqueurs prepared with gentian or similar plants as the sole aromatic substance, 100 grams per litre in all other cases; produced by flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or a distillate of agricultural origin or one or more spirit drinks or a mixture thereof, sweetened and with the addition of products of agricultural origin or foodstuffs such as cream, milk or other milk products, fruit, wine or aromatised wine as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91 of 10 June 1991 laying down general rules on the definition, description and presentation of aromatized wines, aromatized wine-based drinks and aromatized wine-product cocktails OJ L 149, 14.6.1991, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by the 2005 Act of Accession. . The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of liqueur shall be 15 %. Only natural flavouring substances and preparations as defined in Article 1(2)(b)(i) and Article 1(2)(c) of Directive 88/388/EEC and nature-identical flavouring substances and preparations as defined in Article 1(2)(b)(ii) of that Directive may be used in the preparation of liqueur. However, nature-identical flavouring substances and preparations as defined in Article 1(2)(b)(ii) of that Directive shall not be used in the preparation of the following liqueurs: Fruit liqueurs: blackcurrant, cherry, raspberry, mulberry, bilberry, citrus fruit, cloudberry, arctic bramble, cranberry, lingonberry, sea buckthorn, pineapple; plant liqueurs: mint, gentian, aniseed, génépi, vulnerary. The following compound terms may be used in the presentation of liqueurs produced in the Community where ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin is used to mirror established production methods: prune brandy, orange brandy, apricot brandy, cherry brandy, solbaerrom, also called blackcurrant rum. As regards the labelling and presentation of those liqueurs, the compound term must appear on the labelling in one line in uniform characters of the same font and colour and the word ‘liqueur’ must appear in immediate proximity in characters no smaller than that font. If the alcohol does not come from the spirit drink indicated, its origin must be shown on the labelling in the same visual field as the compound term and the word ‘liqueur’ either by stating the type of agricultural alcohol or by the words ‘agricultural alcohol’ preceded on each occasion by ‘made from’ or ‘made using’.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-08 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.