The aim of this study was to compare the aromatic profile of plum spirits, obtained from the Požegača and Stanley varieties, as affected by different combinations of pre-distillation steps used in traditional and six modified production methods that are common in Serbian distilleries. Traditional plum spirits (produced from spontaneously fermented mashes of crushed plums with stones distilled after two months of storage) had the highest contents of ethyl acetate, benzaldehyde, and total acids, which resulted in the occurrence of an unpleasant solvent-like and stone-like odour and acidic taste. These sensory defects were overcome by the distillation of fermented mashes immediately after the completion of alcoholic fermentation. Depending on the combination of the pre-distillation steps, plum spirits from mashes distilled immediately after alcoholic fermentation were characterized by different aromatic profiles: closer to traditional (from spontaneously fermented crushed plums with/without stones) or with a more pronounced fruity character (from pulped plums without stones regardless of the way of fermentation). These differences in aroma profiles have arisen mostly because of the significantly different contents and OAVs of ethyl esters and volatile fatty acids. The appropriate combination of the pre-distillation steps, which is adapted to the variety, can significantly improve the quality of the plum spirit compared to the traditionally produced spirit.

Because of the rising occurrence of extremely hot summers linked to climate change, there is a mass appearance of heat-damaged fruits of ‘Čačanska Lepotica’, which are unsuitable for fresh consumption and processing into products in which the fruits’ appearance is a critical quality attribute. To address this issue, the aim of the study was to examine the possibility of producing plum spirits from such fruits as one of the potential ways to utilize them. Heat-damaged fruits were processed in nine different ways, including a traditional one. All produced plum spirits met legal requirements. GC-MS analysis of 39 volatile compounds revealed that the plum spirits made from heat-damaged fruits had different aromatic profiles depending on the processing method applied. However, the plum spirit produced in the traditional way had various sensory defects; the most notable were a lack of freshness and a distinctly unpleasant ‘cooked plum’ aroma. Modifications to the production method led to an improvement in the sensory characteristics of the plum spirits. The obtained results indicate that modifications in small distilleries should include fruit crushing, stone removal and usage of baker’s yeast. In large distilleries, though, the best sensory characteristics for plum spirits made from heat-damaged fruits could be obtained using a production method that includes fruit pulping with stone removal and spontaneous alcoholic fermentation, with one additional step: lowering the pH of the mash before alcoholic fermentation to 3.0.