Whisky in your diet: Is whisky gluten free, is whisky vegan and how many calories are in whisky? | Scotsman Food and Drink (2024)

With more and more dining options opening up for those enjoying a gluten-free or vegan lifestyle, which alcoholic drinks, including whisky, are acceptable can still be a little confusing.

Is whisky gluten free?

While whisky is made with malted barley, the finished product is gluten free. Anyone with coeliac disease or those cutting out gluten for other reasons will be glad to hear that whisky can be drunk safely and it’s all down to distillation.

The Coeliac UK charity explains this, saying: “Even when a cereal that contains gluten is used as an ingredient, all spirits are distilled during the manufacturing process and this process removes any trace of gluten. Therefore, all spirit drinks (including malt whisky which is made from barley) are safe for people with coeliac disease.”

Gluten is produced when making whisky, in the mashing of the barley, and it will be carried through the fermentation process. It’s present in wort but, during distillation, gluten - a heavy compound, will be lost therefore it is not present in whisky or distilled spirits.

The casks whisky is matured in - sherry, bourbon or ex-wine casks - are all gluten free but if a beer cask has been used, it’s best to check this out before taking any risks.

How many calories are in whisky?

To be called whisky, the drink must be 40% ABV which means that forty percent of the drink is pure alcohol. If the ABV is higher, the percentage of alcohol is higher too.

This all matters when it comes to calories. A single measure of whisky, 25ml, equals one measure of alcohol and can contain around 61 calories. The calories will increase depending on what mixer you add to your whisky, if you choose to do so.

Remember drink aware’s advice: “To keep health risks from alcohol low, if you choose to drink, it’s important to stick to the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines. That means no more than 14 units a week, spread over three or more days, with several drink-free days - and no bingeing.”

Is whisky vegan?

The short answer here is yes, whisky is vegan. Unlike some wines, whisky is not refined by using animal derivatives.

Because all ingredients are plant-based, and the fermentation process doesn’t use animal derivatives, whisky is vegan.

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Dominika Piasecka, spokeswoman for The Vegan Society, said: "Fortunately, virtually every brand of hard liquor—bourbon, whisky, vodka, gin, and rum—is vegan.

"Nearly all distilled spirits are vegan except for cream-based liqueurs and products that mention honey on the label."

Thankfully, the Vegan Society has confirmed that most spirits use animal-free processing meaning most of them are vegan.

However, the exceptions are certain whiskies, including liqueurs, that contain honey meaning they are excluded from a plant-based diet.

How is whisky made?

All the answers to these questions can be found in how whisky is made. In Scotland, whisky is made with three ingredients - water, malted barley and yeast.

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The barley, which is usually malted off-site from whichever distillery is making the whisky, is ground down into a fine powder known as grist and the impurities removed.

This malt grist is fed into the mash tun where it is combined with a carefully measured quantity of hot water. This completes the conversion of dextrin into maltose and produces a fermentable solution of the malt sugars called 'wort'.

After several washings to draw out the malt, the solid residue or 'draff' is removed and sold as cattle food. The wort is then cooled in a receiver known as the underback and then transferred to the 'washbacks' where the yeast is added for fermentation.

The fermentation produces an alcoholic clear liquid called 'wash', which is now ready to be distilled in the copper stills.

The wash is distilled in the first still known as the 'wash still' to produce an impure product called 'low wines'. This is then fed via the spirit safe into the low wines charger ready for the next stage of distillation.

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When ready, the low wines are discharged into the spirit still and the process repeated. The final product - raw, unmatured spirit passes via the spirit safe to spirit receiver - and cut into head, heart and tails - and spirit store, ready for filling into barrels to be matured.

The new make spirit, which is clear, is filled into oak casks and matured in a dunnage warehouse in Scotland for a minimum of three years and one day.

These casks, which must be oak for the liquid to be called Scotch whisky, are usually ex-bourbon and ex-sherry, but more and more ex-wine and port casks are being used for finishes to impart different flavours.

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Whisky in your diet: Is whisky gluten free, is whisky vegan and how many calories are in whisky? | Scotsman Food and Drink (2024)

FAQs

How many calories are in whisky? ›

Calorie count - Alcoholic beverages
BEVERAGESERVING SIZECALORIES
Whiskey (80 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)97
Whiskey (94 proof)1.5 oz (45 ml)116
Liqueurs
Coffee liqueur1.5 oz (45 ml)160
53 more rows
Jun 22, 2022

Is whiskey high in calories and sugar? ›

Scotch Whiskey Nutrition Facts

A single shot of scotch contains 97 calories, no carbohydrates, no sugars, and no fiber.

How can whisky have calories but no carbs? ›

The Caloric Content in Whiskey

It's worth mentioning that this count may vary slightly depending on the brand and proof of the whiskey. Unlike beer or wine, whiskey is distilled and hence contains no sugars or carbs, which makes it a lower-calorie option for those watching their intake.

Is whisky vegan? ›

Whisky is plant-based and vegan. It is made up of only three main ingredients: grain, yeast and water. Much it's flavour is imparted by the type of cask used - ex-sherry, ex-bourbon or fresh oak, for example. In fact, most spirits are free from any animal-derived substances.

Is one shot of whiskey a day healthy? ›

As with all the health benefits of whiskey, the key is to consume in moderation. Because of its blood-thinning properties, a daily shot of whiskey can lower a person's risk of ischemic (clot-caused) stroke. You probably grew up hearing that drinking a Hot Toddy is a great palliative for a cold.

Which alcohol is lowest in calories? ›

Unsurprisingly, straight spirits contain the least amount of calories as are nearly entirely ethanol without added sugar. Vodka is the alcohol with the lowest calories, at around 100 calories per shot (that's a 50ml double-measure). Whisky is slightly more, at roughly 110 calories a shot.

Is two shots of whiskey a day bad? ›

To reduce the risk of alcohol-related harms, the CDC's 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults of legal drinking age can choose not to drink, or to drink in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day for men or 1 drink or less in a day for women, on days when alcohol is ...

Does whisky cause weight gain? ›

In excess, alcohol consumption may cause adverse effects on your body, leading to weight gain. For example, alcohol may affect hormones that control appetite, hunger, and stress. Alcohol is high in calories and is likely to increase abdominal fat.

Is it bad to have a glass of whiskey every night? ›

Overall, the type of alcohol you drink has less bearing on your health than how much and how often you drink it. The downsides of drinking too much whiskey every day are similar to drinking too much alcohol in general. Side effects of drinking whisky every day include: Weight gain.

What alcohol has 0 carbs and 0 calories? ›

Spirits Pure spirits like gin, whisky, vodka, and tequila are suitable drink choices for people following a keto diet. These drinks are low-calorie and contain zero added sugar and zero carbs. You can drink them plain or mix them with low-carb mixtures like soda water, diet soda, or sugar-free tonic water.

Which alcoholic drinks are least bad for you? ›

Which alcoholic drinks are best for you?
  • Craft beer.
  • Stout.
  • Low-alcohol beer.
  • Vodka/gin.
  • Vodka soda.
  • Bloody Mary.
  • Dry martini.
  • Kombucha.
Jul 7, 2023

Which whiskey has no sugar? ›

Straight distilled spirits like bourbon, rye, and other whiskeys have a lower sugar content than any other alcoholic drink. True bourbon—that is, bourbon with no flavorings or sweetener—contains virtually no sugar.

Is whisky gluten-free? ›

Yes, pure, distilled whiskey (or whisky), even if made with wheat, barley, or rye is considered gluten-free. Most whiskeys are safe for people with celiac disease because of the distillation process. However, be on the lookout for hidden gluten in whiskeys that add flavorings or other additives after distillation.

What alcohol do vegans eat? ›

Fortunately for all you G&T lovers, nearly every type of spirit and liqueur — vodka, gin, whisky, rum etc — is vegan! This comes down to the production process. Spirits are distilled by taking a grain or sugar and fermenting it to make alcohol.

Why is vodka not vegan? ›

Based on Barnivore data, an estimated 13 percent of vodkas are not vegan, compared to just 4 percent of tequilas. Non-vegan vodkas usually contain dairy or honey, though some vodkas do use animal-derived fining agents, like Svedka.

Is whisky less fattening than beer? ›

A serving of 80 proof vodka or whiskey (1.5oz) has 96 calories. The average 5% alcohol beer has 153 calories.

What whiskey has the lowest calories? ›

So, it's no surprise that the whiskeys with the lowest calorie count are low-proof whiskeys. The whiskeys with the least amount of calories per shot will be Crown Royal Special Reserve at 96 calories, Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 at 97 calories, and Glenfiddich 12 Single Malt Scotch at 100 calories.

Is whiskey empty calories? ›

Alcohol calories are not converted to glycogen, a form of stored carbohydrates, and thus are not a good source of energy during exercise. Each drink contains approximately 100-150 empty calories. The body treats alcohol as fat, converting alcohol sugars into fatty acids.

How much whiskey is 100 calories? ›

Rule of thumb: any gin, rum, tequila, vodka, or whiskey has 100 to 120 calories per 1.5 oz. shot, before you add any mixers.

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