A review on flavor of Baijiu and other world-renowned distilled liquors

• The key odorants of Baijiu and some world-renowned distilled liquors are summarized. • A comprehensive review of the flavor and odorants of various distilled liquors. • This work enhances the comprehension of the flavor in distilled liquors. The flavor characteristics of distilled liquors significantly affect consumer acceptance and adoption. Therefore, odorants that contribute to sensory properties have received more attention. The odorants depend on the operating parameters, such as raw materials and ingredients, manufacturing process and maturing circumstances. This review summarized the odorants in the Baijiu and other world-renowned distilled liquors. Especially, the contribution of the odorants to the dominant aroma attributes is given more attention. The variations in the constituents and contents of odorants among the liquors are discussed comprehensively. In general, further research is still needed on the interaction mechanism between the odorants and sensory properties of distilled liquors.