1887.] the Adulteration of Brandy. 251 



for making np not only brandies, etc., but also for strengtheniug^ 

 wines, not on account of its cheapness only, but for the sake of 

 its purity. 



Much has been said against a practice which is universal at home,. 

 that of making up brandy by mixing it with other spirits, obtained 

 from grain or potatoes, or by manufacturing it entirely from the 

 latter and flavouring it by the addition of some essence. 



But how can it be otherwise, when the demand for the article far 

 surpasses the production ? Since the phylloxera has made such 

 ravages with the vines of France, the production of genuine French 

 brandy has fallen from about 60,000 leaguers in 1875 down to 842 

 leaguers in 1879 and has only risen again to 2,220 in 1882. It is 

 obvious, as Monsieur Dujardin-Beaumetz says, that a millionaire onlj 

 is able to procure nowadays the genuine article for his table, and^ 

 paying even as much as a guinea for a bottle, he is not certain that 

 he gets a really pure article. 



The consumption of brandy not having decreased since that time, ifr 

 stands to reason that the bulk of the article which is in the trade air 

 present, including the favourite brands so largely used in this colony^ 

 is made up artificially. What a wonderful chance is offered here to a 

 wine-producing country like the Cape ! 



But 1 must state at once that from a hygienic point of view — and I 

 have here nothing to do with the commercial side of the question — 

 this spurious brandy, made from the vile potato-spirit, is by far 

 preferable to the genuine article as the Cape-farmer produces it at 

 present, for the former is free from the more toxic alcohols which th& 

 latter generally contains. 



It has been suggested that the evil is principally due to the want of 

 age of our brandy. That is true to a certain extent ; but never will; 

 such brandies as I have met with here, become pleasant and wholesome, 

 even if kept for twenty years. The want of care during the fermenta- 

 tion of the wine and the gross negligence during its distillation impart 

 to it such an amount of fusel-oil and empyreumatic products that no- 

 length of time can remove them. 



Concluding my little paper, I feel bound to touch another side of 

 the subject before us. 



What steps should our legislature take with regard to this adul- 

 teration-question ? All the greater States of Europe have found it 

 necessary to promulgate laws against the numerous adulterations to 

 which articles of food and drink are subjected. In principle thesa 

 I 



