German schnapps are eau-de-vie (clear, colourless alcohol distilled from fruit, such as peaches, cherries, pears, etc.) while American schnapps is neutral grain spirit (same as vodka) mixed with fruit flavour, sugar and glycerine (to create a smooth texture and simulate the fruit distillation mouth feel). This makes them a liqueur (anything alcoholic with sugar added for flavouring is a liqueur), but for marketing reasons they are labeled as schnapps as there is no legal definition. The Germans weren't as smart as the French in protecting their product names legally. I'd stick to Bols, or avoid the genre, if you are looking for quality. Normally American schnapps is the most alcohol for the price with a sweet candy taste to attract those who dont like the taste of alcohol