How Much Sugar is in Whiskey?
Whether you enjoy it straight up, on the rocks, or even with a splash of water, nothing beats a whiskey cocktail at the end of a hard week. But have ever wondered how much sugar is in a straight glass of whiskey?
Most whiskey has little to no sugar when it comes right out of the bottle. But there can still be trace amounts of sugar depending on the process in which it was made. Let’s break down how whiskey is made to understand the relationship between sugar and spirits.
Malting & Mashing
The making of whiskey starts with the malting of grain. Whiskey can be made out of several combinations of grains, including rye, corn, wheat, and barley. Each of these grains have different levels of sugars within the grains.
Some grains are malted, which includes soaking the grains in water and laying them on the floor to germinate or partially sprout. Malting allows the grains to secrete an enzyme that would convert the starches found in the grains into sugar.
Once grains are malted, they are dried and then pounded or ground into a powdery substance, called “grist”. The grist is combined with hot water and turned into a mash of grains. The goal of mashing is to extract as much sugar as possible from the grains.
Fermentation & Sugar
The mash is cooled and moved into vats where yeast is added. This is the critical step that transforms the sugar in the grains into alcohol. This process lasts several days and can greatly affect the quality of the whiskey. In most cases when fermentation is complete there will be no more sugar left in the mixture.
Distillation
Distillation increases the alcohol content in whiskey by heating the mixture. During distillation the alcohol evaporates and separates from the water and grain particles. It’s then condensed and becomes a liquid again. If there are any sugars left from the fermentation process, they will not vaporize like the alcohol. Instead these particles will sink to the bottle of the still, making it easy for distillers to separate them out of the distilled spirit.
Aging Whiskey & Sugars
Once the whiskey is distilled, it is moved into wooden barrels for aging. Most American whiskeys are aged in oak barrels, but other whiskies can be aged in other types of wooden casks. Some whiskeys, like bourbon, will take on a sweet taste coming directly from the barrels. In these cases the oak barrels are charred before the whiskey is added. When a barrel is charred, any sugars left in the wood will be caramelized when exposed to heat. Then when the whiskey goes into the barrel, the caramel flavor goes into the spirit. This sweetness is not necessarily sugar.
Is there Sugar in Whiskey?
While some whiskeys may have a sweeter taste than others, there typically is very little sugar in whiskey. A 43% ABV (86 proof) whiskey contains 0.1 grams of sugar per 100 ml. This means that a shot of whiskey contains roughly 0.044 grams of sugar. This is very low compared to other spirits you may enjoy.
However, if you are mixing your whiskey into a classic cocktail like an Old Fashioned or a Whiskey Sour, the added sugar will increase your blood sugar. A typical Old Fashioned will include a sugar cube, roughly 4 grams of sugar. So if you are watching your sugar intake, stick with a splash of water with your whiskey instead of a cocktail.
Cheers!
