UGANDA STANDARD  
  US 1534  
First Edition  
2014-10-15 
 
 
 Reference number  
US 1534 : 2014 
© UNBS 2014  
  
Liqueur  — Specification  
 US 1534 : 2014 
ii © UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UN BS 20 14  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS.  
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to  
The Executive Director  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards  
P.O. Box 6329  
Kampala  
Uganda  
Tel: 256 41 4 505 995  
Fax: 256 41 4 286 123  
E-mail: unbs@ infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 US 1534 :2014 
© UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Trade , Industry and 
Cooperatives established under Cap 327 , of the Laws of Uganda.  UNBS is mandated to co -ordinate the 
elaboratio n of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Trade Organisat ion (WTO).  
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, man ufacturers, government and other stakeholders.  
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council.  
This Uganda Standard has been developed as a result of a need to provide guidance to industry in produc tion 
and regulation of liqueurs.  
This Uganda S tandard has been developed by the Subcommittee  on Drinks , water a nd related bevera ges (SC 
16) under  the Food and Agriculture standards Technical C ommittee ( UNBS/ TC 2) . US 1534 : 2014 
iv © UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
Liqueurs are sweet, flavour -infused spirits that are categorized according to the flavouring agent ( that is , fruits, 
nuts, herbal and spice blends, creams and such) thus the types, fruit liqueur, coffee liqueur, chocolate liqueur, 
schnapps liqueur, brandy liqueur, cream liqueur, anise liqueur, nut -flavoured liqueur, and herbal li queur. The 
word liqueur comes from the Latin  ”liquifacere ” ("to dissolve") and refers to the dissolving of flavourings in the 
spirits. Artificial flavourings are strictly regulated in most countries, and where allowed, are prominently 
labelled as such. Liq ueurs are typically quite sweet and often syrupy; they are usually not aged for long but 
may have resting periods during  their production to allow  the flavours to marry.  
The distinction between liqueurs and spirits  is not simple because many spir its (for example , flavoured  vodka ) 
are available today in a flavoured  form. The most reliable guide to  classification is that liqueurs contain added 
sugar, but spirits ( liquors) do not. S ome people distinguish between liqueurs and cordials, but the words have 
become almost synonymous . Dessert wines  may t aste like a liqueur but they do not contain any added 
flavouring  or sugar . 
 UGANDA STANDARD  US 1534 : 2014  
 
© UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  1 
 Liqueur  — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Uganda Standard specifies  the requirements and method of sampling and test for liqueurs.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition o f the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies.  
EAS 104, Alcoholic beverages — Methods of sampling and test  
US 7 , General standard for labelling of pre -packaged foods  
US 28 , Code of practice for hygiene in the food and  drink  manufacturing  industry. 
US 45 , General standard for food additives  
US 201 , Drinking (potable)  water  — Specification  
US 217-1/EAS 217 -1, Methods for microbiological examination of foods  — Part 1:  General procedures and 
techniques  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of  this standard, the following term and definition shall apply.  
liqueur  
potable  alcoholic spirit drink produced by sweetening, flavouring and colouring ethyl alc ohol of agricultural 
origin, or a distillate of agricultural origin or one or more spirit drinks , and possibly with the addition of products 
of agricultural or botanical origin including but not limited to cream, milk, coffee, tea, fruit, wine  
4 Ingredients  
4.1.1  Liqueurs shall be free from any ingredients injurious to health . 
4.1.2  Water used in the  manufacture of the product shall be potable complying with US 201.  
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirement s 
5.1.1  Liqueurs shall :  US 1534 : 2014 
2 © UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  
 a) be free from sediments or suspended matter and may be coloured or clear ;  
b) be sweet in nature and the sweetness shall be deri ved from invert sugar ; and 
c) have the aroma characteristics of the flavourings used.  
5.1.2 The quality of spirit used for blending liqueurs shall conform to relevant national standard for pure 
ethyl alcohol  of agricultural origin . 
5.2 Specific q uality requir ements  
Liqueurs shall comply with the compositional requirements indicated in Table 1 when tested accordance with 
EAS 104 . 
Table 1 ― Quality requirements for liqueur  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirement  
i Ethyl alcohol content, % (v/v), at 20  ºC. 15 - 45 
ii Sugar content as invert sugar, %, min. 2.5 
iii Methanol , g/L, max . 0.5  
iv Volatile acidity as acetic acid, g/L, max. 0.5 
v Acetaldehyde , g/100  L, max.  2 
vi Furfural  To pass the test  
vii Fusel oil  To pass the test  
 
6 Contaminants  
The maximum limits for heavy metal contaminants  in liqueur  shall comply with the requirements in Table 2  
when tested in accord ance with  EAS 104 . 
Table 2 ― Maximum c ontamination limits for liqueur  
S/No  Contaminant   
 Maximum limit , 
mg/kg 
i.  Copper (as Cu),  2 
ii.  Lead (as Pb)  0.1 
iii.  Arsenic, (as As) 0.1 
7 Microbiological limits  
The maximum limits for microbiological contaminants in liqueur shall comply with the  requirements in Table 3  
when tested in accordance with US  217-1/EAS  217-1. US 1534 : 2014  
© UNBS  2014  – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 3 ― Maximum m icrobiological limits for liqueur  
S/No  Type of microbe  Limit ,  
mL 
i.  Acetic acid bacteria  Shall be absent  
ii.  Lactic acid bacteria  Shall be absent  
iii.  Hydrogen sul phide producing bacteria   Shall be absent  
iv.  Leuconostoc mesenteroides  Shall be absent  
8 Hygiene  
Liqueur shall be manufactured in premises built and maintained under hygienic conditions in accordance with 
US 28. 
9 Weights and measures  
In the filling of th e container, the contents of the products shall occupy not less than 90 % of the water 
capacity of the container.   
10 Packaging and labelling  
10.1 Packaging  
Liqueur shall be packaged in food grade containers, which protect the product from damage without reacting 
with the product.  
10.2 Labelling  
In addition to the requirements of US 7 , the following specific labelling requirement s shall apply:  
a) name of the product ; 
b) name, physical location and address of manufacturer;  
c) ethyl alcohol content, % by volume;  
d) list of ingredients in descending order of proportion by mass;  
e) net contents in accordance with the weights and measures requirements;  
f) date of manufacture ;  
g) batch identification number/code;  
h) country of origin ;  
i)  statutory warnings ; 
j) storage condition ; and  
k) a statement “Not to be consumed by children under 18 years” . US 1534 : 2014 
4 © UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  
 11 Sampling and methods of test  
Tests shall be carried out in accordance with EAS 104 . US 1534 : 2014  
© UNBS  2014  – All rights reserved  5 
 Bibliography  
[1] REGULATION (EC) No 110/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 15 
January 200 8 
[2] KS 2150, Spirit -based ready to drink alcoholic beverages – Specification , 2008  
. US 1534 : 2014  
© UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved  7 
 Certification marking  
Products that conform to Uganda standards may be marked with Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
(UNBS) Certification Mark shown in the figure below.  
The use of the UNBS Certification Mark is governed by the Standards Act, and the Regulations made 
thereunder. This mark can be used only by those licensed under the certification mark scheme operated by 
the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and in conju nction with the relevant Uganda Standard. The 
presence of this mark on a product or in relation to a product is an assurance that the goods comply with the 
requirements of that standard under a system of supervision, control and testing in accordance with the 
certification mark scheme of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards. UNBS marked products are 
continually checked by UNBS for conformity to that standard.  
Further particulars of the terms and conditions of licensing may be obtained from the Director,  Uganda 
National Bureau of Standards.  
 
 US 1534 : 2014    
 
ICS 67.160.10  
Price based  on nn pages  
© UNBS 2014  – All rights reserved