Whiskey: Calories in Whiskey

People who are weight conscious, count the number of calories before eating or drinking, as this is the age of six-pack abs and size zero. People not only watch what they eat, but also keep a tab on what they drink! Men and women, both wish to have a perfect figure. These days, people want to cut down not only on sodas and sugary syrups but also on alcoholic drinks. The menu cards in the restaurants display the calorie content of alcoholic drinks. You can order the lowest calorie alcoholic drink after checking the list. Before discussing whiskey calories, let us take a look at important whiskey facts.

Whiskey Facts

Whiskey is made throughout the world. While enjoying the peg, one always tends to forget about the calories in whiskey. One can always find a whiskey brand or type of his own choice. Every whiskey connoisseur thinks that his favorite whiskey is the best whiskey in the world! Whiskey is distilled from fermented grain mash. The different grains used for different varieties of whiskeys are barley, rye, malted rye, malted barley, wheat and corn. The wooden casks which are generally made of oak wood, are used to preserve whiskeys over years. Aged whiskeys are matured whiskeys and they are considered as high quality whiskeys.

Whiskey types differ in base product, alcoholic content and quality. Malt is made from malted barley while grain is made from malted and un-malted barley along with other grains. Blended whiskeys are combinations of malt and grain whiskeys. Scotch whisky (when it is scotch, it is 'whisky' and not 'whiskey') or Irish whiskey is also a blended whiskey. A blend generally comes from many distilleries and the blender is responsible for producing a flavor consistent with his brand. So the brand name (For instance, Chivas Regal, Canadian Club) usually does not contain the name of a distillery. Whatever may be the class or type of the whiskey, the way the grains are fermented and the way the spirit is distilled down to a maximum of 80% alcohol for corn and 90% alcohol for other grains, prior to adding water, are unique. The methods ensure that some of the flavor of the grain used to make the spirit is retained and the spirit is not classified as grain neutral spirits or vodka.

Whiskeys mature only in casks and not in the bottle, so the 'age' of a whiskey is actually the time for which the whiskey is in the cask or the time between distillation and bottling. How much the cask has interacted with the whiskey or the age of the whiskey determines the change in its chemical makeup and taste. Whiskeys which have been bottled long ago can be considered as 'rare', but are not 'older' or 'better' than a recently made whiskey matured in wood for a similar time. Most whiskeys are sold at an alcoholic strength of about 40% abv (alcohol by volume).

Does whiskey have calories? Yes, it does, here is an overview of calories present in whiskey shots.

Calories in Whiskey

Description	Quantity Served	Calories
Whiskey Shot	1 shot / 1 fl oz / 27.8g	64
Whiskey on the Rocks	8 oz	124
Whiskey and Soda	Single (25 ml)	56
Whiskey and Diet Coke	Single (25 ml)	64
Whiskey and Coke	Single (25 ml)	129
Whiskey Sour	1 oz	110-128
Calories in Scotch	1 oz	61-65

The above numbers indicating whiskey calories, are just for guidance as they may vary depending on a number of things: the type of whiskey, the type of coke or soda, the amount of whiskey and the amount of coke or soda or water (or ice cubes). For instance, 25 ml Scotch whisky and 100 ml Coca-Cola will normally contain about 65 calories from whiskey and about 45 calories from the Coca-Cola, making it about 110 calories in total. 35 ml of Scotch and 90 ml of Coca-Cola offer about 120 calories. Jack Daniels and coke is one of the most fattening drink you can ever have, as it contains about 130 calories for just a 25 ml serving of whiskey. But, a Southern Comfort and diet coke drink will contain less than 80 calories for a 25 ml serving.

Calories in whiskey differ according to the grains used to make the whiskey; while the calories in coke differ largely on the amount of sugar in the drink. Actually, alcohol is very high in calories. One gram of alcohol offers 7 calories and the number of calories in alcohol is second only after fat (9 cals/gm). The calories in alcohol definitely add up to increased body fat. One should never skip meals to allow for drinks. Plan your alcohol according to your daily calorie intake; so as to enjoy a glass or two. Order low-calorie alcoholic drinks and don't worry about weight. If you want to drink more at the weekend, you can save some calories each day in advance, so that you can eat normally. So, happy drinking!!