Whiskey: the calories are clear, the rest is thin

The US food survey database puts whiskey at 231 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g). A 42 g shot carries about 97 calories and a 63 g drink about 146. The database does not state the strength of what it measured, so this page cannot say how much of that energy is the alcohol. On safety the sources are plain. The WHO Regional Office for Europe says there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health, that the harm comes from the alcohol and not the type of drink, and that alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen. The CDC says there is no known safe amount and no safe time to drink during pregnancy, liquor included. The 2025-2030 US Dietary Guidelines say to drink less, and that some people should not drink at all: pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control how much they drink, and people whose medicines or medical conditions interact with alcohol. Past that, the evidence on whiskey itself is thin. It rests on small studies, six of 9 to 49 people and one of 95, and two of them never gave anyone whiskey: the eating-before-drinking trial used vodka, and the green tea trial used shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit. None followed a health outcome over time. One gave 23 men four glasses of whisky a day, 40 g of alcohol, for 17 days and measured a 6.2 percent rise in a cholesterol-carrying protein. That is a blood marker and nobody measured their hearts. 40 g of alcohol is close to three US standard drinks of about 14 g each, every day, more than any current drinking advice allows.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Trial authors note that drinks pick up congeners, chemicals other than ethanol, from materials such as grains and wood casks, and cite earlier work finding 37 times more congeners in bourbon than in vodka. — alcoholic beverages, bourbon compared with vodka Evidence D source
  Congeners come from materials such as grains and wood casks; bourbon has 37 times the congeners of vodka
• The US food survey database lists whiskey at 231 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), so a 42 g shot carries about 97 calories and a 63 g drink about 146 calories. — Whiskey, FNDDS food 2710700 (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  231 calories/100 g, 1 fl oz 28 g = 64.7 calories, 1 shot 42 g = 97 calories, 1 drink 63 g = 145.5 calories

What a real portion looks like

• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) defines one standard drink as about 14 g of pure alcohol, the amount in a 1.5-ounce shot of spirits at 40% alcohol. — US drinkers Evidence E source
  One standard drink = about 14 g pure alcohol = a 1.5 oz shot of 40% spirits

What your body absorbs

• In healthy volunteers who drank 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) of 43.5% whisky after a solid meal, food moved through the gut markedly slower, while 14 fl oz (400 ml) beer and 6.8 fl oz (200 ml) red wine did not delay this orocecal transit, so distilled drinks act differently from fermented ones. — 3 blocks of 12 healthy volunteers, solid 1485 kJ meal then beer 14 fl oz (400 ml), red wine 6.8 fl oz (200 ml) or whisky 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) vs matched control fluids (n = 36) Evidence B source
  Whisky and 43.5% ethanol: profound delay of orocecal transit, beer and wine: no delay, gallbladder emptying inhibition beer < wine < whisky
• In a crossover trial in 20 adults drinking vodka at 0.30-0.35 g alcohol per kg, eating a meal or a food bar beforehand cut alcohol absorption by about 30% compared with drinking on an empty stomach. — 20 healthy adults, four randomized meal conditions (fasting, food bar, control meal, full meal) before vodka (n = 20) Evidence B source
  Relative bioavailability (AUC0-t) about 30% lower with food bar or control meal vs fasting
• In 9 men, alcohol taken as whisky or lager at 0.58 g per kg of body weight raised urinary vitamin C loss by 47% over the next 4 hours. — 9 healthy male volunteers, four consecutive days, 4 h urine collections (n = 9) Evidence B source
  Urinary ascorbic acid excretion +47% after alcohol as whisky or lager

What cooking and storage change

• In a randomized trial of 95 young heavy drinkers, people felt a worse hangover after bourbon than after vodka at the same breath alcohol, but the type of spirit made no difference to next-day attention, reaction time or sleep. — healthy heavy drinkers aged 21 to 33, drinking to a mean breath alcohol of 0.11 g% on bourbon or vodka with cola (n = 95) Evidence B source
  Hangover worse after bourbon than vodka (Acute Hangover Scale 1.88 vs 1.38 after alcohol); no congener effect on next-day performance or sleep

What it does to your health

• The WHO Regional Office for Europe says there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health, that it is the alcohol and not the type of drink that causes harm, and that alcohol is classed as a Group 1 carcinogen. — general population Evidence E source
  No safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health; the harm comes from the alcohol, not the type of drink; IARC Group 1 carcinogen
• In 10 Japanese men drinking a distilled spirit with 20 g alcohol, taking it with catechin-rich green tea instead of water raised urinary uric acid excretion from 0.45 to 0.52 mg/kg/h, without changing serum uric acid. — 10 healthy Japanese men, shochu with water vs shochu with green tea (617 mg catechins) (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Urinary uric acid 0.45 vs 0.52 mg/kg/h, serum uric acid unchanged

Safety, limits and interactions

• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) says current research points to health risks even at low amounts of alcohol, whatever the drink, and that heavy drinking can lead to fatty liver, alcohol-associated hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer. — people who drink, heavy drinkers for the liver list Evidence E source
  Health risks even at low amounts regardless of beverage type; heavy drinking can lead to steatosis, hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists fast heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure, vomiting, headache and flushing as possible reactions when alcohol is mixed with infection medicines such as metronidazole, and liver damage with isoniazid or ketoconazole. — people taking antibiotics and antifungals listed under Infections, including metronidazole (Flagyl) Evidence E source
  Fast heartbeat, sudden blood pressure changes, stomach pain, vomiting, headache, flushing, liver damage (isoniazid, ketoconazole)
• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists drowsiness, dizziness, slowed or difficult breathing, impaired motor control and memory problems as possible reactions when alcohol is mixed with sleep medicines such as zolpidem. — people taking sleep medicines such as zolpidem (Ambien) Evidence E source
  Drowsiness, dizziness, slowed or difficult breathing, impaired motor control, unusual behavior, memory problems

Who this works differently for

• The CDC says there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy and no safe time during pregnancy to drink, and that all types of alcohol, liquor included, can be harmful. — pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant Evidence E source
  No known safe amount, no safe time, all types of alcohol can harm, liquor named
• The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say to consume less alcohol for better overall health. Pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control how much they drink, and people on medicines or with medical conditions that interact with alcohol should avoid it completely. — US adults, with named groups who should not drink at all Evidence E source
  Drink less. Avoid completely if pregnant, recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control intake, or taking interacting medicines or with interacting conditions
• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists stomach bleeding and ulcers, and liver damage with acetaminophen, as possible reactions when alcohol is mixed with pain relievers, and abnormally low blood sugar when it is mixed with diabetes medicines. — people taking pain relievers (including acetaminophen) or diabetes medicines (including metformin) Evidence E source
  Pain relievers: stomach upset, bleeding and ulcers, liver damage with acetaminophen. Diabetes medicines: abnormally low blood sugar, flushing reaction
• The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) describes alcohol use disorder as a medical condition in which a person cannot stop or control drinking despite harm, and says the risk of developing it depends partly on how much, how often and how quickly they drink. — people who drink Evidence E source
  AUD is a medical condition of impaired ability to stop or control drinking; risk depends partly on how much, how often and how quickly a person drinks
• Among 49 college students, those who found blended scotch whisky sweeter and less bitter reported drinking more alcohol per week, and genetic taste sensitivity to PROP shaped how bitter the scotch tasted. — 49 of-age undergraduates, mean age 22, taste ratings of beer, scotch, espresso and grapefruit juice (n = 49) Evidence C source
  Scotch sweetness and lower bitterness were direct predictors of weekly alcohol intake

What is still unknown

• In 23 middle-aged men, four glasses of whisky a day (40 g alcohol) for 17 days raised apolipoprotein A-I by 6.2% and serum cholesterol efflux capacity by 17.5% compared with water, a lab marker and not a measured heart outcome. — 23 healthy men aged 45-65, partially diet-controlled crossover, 17 days per phase (n = 23) Evidence B source
  ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux +17.5% (P = 0.027), prebeta-HDL +31.6%, apoA-I +6.2%

The bottom line

Medicines are where the sources get specific. The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists possible reactions when alcohol is mixed with infection medicines such as metronidazole: fast heartbeat, vomiting and flushing. With pain relievers it lists stomach bleeding and ulcers, and liver damage with acetaminophen. With diabetes medicines it lists abnormally low blood sugar, and with sleep medicines such as zolpidem, slowed breathing and memory problems. It also says heavy drinking can lead to fatty liver, hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, and that the risk of alcohol use disorder depends partly on how much, how often and how quickly a person drinks. None of these sources gives a safe daily amount. The one trial on this page with a practical shape did not use whiskey. In 20 adults, a meal or even a food bar before drinking cut alcohol absorption by about 30 percent against an empty stomach, at 0.30 to 0.35 g of alcohol per kg of body weight. What it measured was breath alcohol over 90 minutes, not harm and not how drunk anyone was, and the drink was vodka. Whiskey does differ from clearer spirits in some ways. Bourbon carries more congeners, chemicals other than ethanol that come from grains and wood casks, and in 95 young heavy drinkers it gave a worse hangover than vodka at the same breath alcohol, with no difference in next-day attention, reaction time or sleep. After a solid meal, 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) of 43.5 percent whisky markedly slowed food moving through the gut in 12 volunteers, while 14 fl oz (400 ml) of beer and 6.8 fl oz (200 ml) of red wine, each tested in another block of 12, did not. A dose of 0.58 g of alcohol per kg of body weight, taken as whisky or lager, raised the vitamin C lost in urine by 47 percent over the next four hours. That was 9 men on four days, and it says nothing yet about whether regular drinkers run short. Among 49 students, those who found scotch sweeter and less bitter reported drinking more each week, an association that cannot tell you which came first. In 10 Japanese men, catechin-rich green tea taken with a distilled spirit nudged uric acid in the urine from 0.45 to 0.52 mg/kg/h, and uric acid in the blood stayed the same.

Sources

1. hf2-whk-11 · background statement in a trial report
   Most alcoholic beverages contain small amounts of chemicals other than ethanol as a byproduct of the materials used in the fermenting process (e.g., grains, wood casks). Congeners are complex organic molecules with toxic effects including acetone, acetaldehyde, fusel oil, tannins and furfural, with bourbon having 37 times the amount of congeners as vodka
   Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2010;34(3):509-518 (Rohsenow et al., Intoxication with bourbon versus vodka) · checked 2026-10-08
2. whk-b3-07 · reference dataset
   Whiskey (FNDDS 2710700) - Energy 231 KCAL per 100 g - 1 fl oz (no ice) 28 g 64.7 KCAL - 1 shot 42 g 97.0 KCAL - 1 drink 63 g 145.5 KCAL
   USDA FNDDS food 2710700 (Whiskey) · checked 2026-09-23
3. hf2-whk-3 · agency definition
   In the United States, one standard drink contains about 14 grams, or about 0.6 fluid ounces, of pure alcohol. That is the amount of alcohol in: ... A 1.5-ounce shot glass of distilled spirits at 40% alcohol by volume
   NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink? (updated December 2025) · checked 2026-10-08
4. whk-b3-01 · RCT (crossover)
   Alcoholic beverages produced only by fermentation (beer, red wine), at odds with the effect of their counterpartying aqueous ethanol solutions, did not elongate the orocecal transit of the solid food. Products of distillation-whisky and high proof ethanol solution--elicited a profound delay of the orocecal transit.
   J Gastroenterol, 2013 · checked 2026-09-23
5. whk-b3-02 · RCT (crossover)
   Both OFBAR and the control meal reduced alcohol absorption by approximately 30% compared with fasting, as assessed by relative bioavailability based on area under curve (AUC0-t).
   An Acad Bras Cienc, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
6. whk-b3-04 · RCT (small crossover)
   Urinary ascorbic acid excretion was measured on four consecutive days in 9 normal male volunteers for 4 hr before and after drinking nothing (control), 0.58 g alcohol/kg body wt as whisky or lager or water (11./70 kg body wt). The normal reduction in ascorbic acid excretion under control conditions was abolished by drinking water. Alcohol in either form produced a 47% increase in urinary ascorbic acid excretion.
   Alcohol Alcohol, 1986 · checked 2026-09-23
7. hf2-whk-10 · RCT
   They drank to a mean of 0.11 g% BrAC on vodka or bourbon one night with matched placebo the other night, randomized for type and order. ... No effect of beverage congeners was found except on hangover severity, with people feeling worse after bourbon.
   Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2010;34(3):509-518 (Rohsenow et al., Intoxication with bourbon versus vodka) · checked 2026-10-08
8. hf2-whk-4 · agency position
   when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health. It is the alcohol that causes harm, not the beverage Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance and has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer decades ago
   WHO Regional Office for Europe, news release: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (4 January 2023) · checked 2026-10-08
9. whk-b3-06 · RCT (crossover)
   Urine UA and Xa/HX excretions were significantly higher in the SC group than in the SW group (UA: SW, 0.45 ± 0.08; SC, 0.52 ± 0.09;
   Clin Rheumatol, 2021 · checked 2026-09-23
10. hf2-whk-5 · agency advice
    Current research points to health risks even at low amounts of alcohol consumption, regardless of beverage type. ... Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver, and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including: Alcohol-associated steatosis Alcohol-associated steatohepatitis Alcohol-associated hepatitis Alcohol-associated fibrosis Alcohol-associated cirrhosis Hepatocellular carcinoma
    NIAAA, Alcohol's Effects on the Body (updated June 2025) · checked 2026-10-08
11. hf2-whk-6 · agency advice
    Fast heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure; stomach pain, upset stomach, vomiting, headache, or flushing or redness of the face; liver damage (isoniazid, ketoconazole)
    NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (NIH Pub. 13-5329, revised 2014) · checked 2026-10-08
12. hf2-whk-8 · agency advice
    Drowsiness, sleepiness, dizziness; slowed or difficulty breathing; impaired motor control; unusual behavior; memory problems
    NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (NIH Pub. 13-5329, revised 2014) · checked 2026-10-08
13. hf2-whk-1 · agency advice
    There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. ... There is no safe time during pregnancy to drink alcohol. ... All types of alcohol can be harmful, including red or white wine, beer, and liquor.
    US CDC, About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy (page reviewed August 14, 2026) · checked 2026-10-08
14. hf2-whk-2 · dietary guideline
    Consume less alcohol for better overall health. People who should completely avoid alcohol include pregnant women, people who are recovering from alcohol use disorder or are unable to control the amount they drink, and people taking medications or with medical conditions that can interact with alcohol.
    Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (HHS, USDA), January 2026 · checked 2026-10-08
15. hf2-whk-7 · agency advice
    Stomach upset, bleeding and ulcers; liver damage (acetaminophen); rapid heartbeat ... Abnormally low blood sugar levels, flushing reaction (nausea, vomiting, headache, rapid heartbeat, sudden changes in blood pressure); symptoms of nausea and weakness may occur (metformin)
    NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (NIH Pub. 13-5329, revised 2014) · checked 2026-10-08
16. hf2-whk-9 · agency advice
    Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a medical condition characterized by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse social, occupational, or health consequences. ... A person’s risk for developing AUD depends in part on how much, how often, and how quickly they consume alcohol.
    NIAAA, Understanding Alcohol Use Disorder (fact sheet, updated January 2025) · checked 2026-10-08
17. whk-b3-05 · cross-sectional
    Sweetness of scotch was significantly greater in those who tasted PROP as least bitter. For scotch, greater sweetness and less bitterness from sampled scotch were direct predictors of greater alcohol intake.
    Physiol Behav, 2005 · checked 2026-09-23
18. whk-b3-03 · RCT (crossover)
    They consumed four glasses of whisky (40 g of alcohol) or water daily for 17 days. After 17 days of whisky consumption, serum capacity to induce ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux from J774 mouse macrophages was increased by 17.5% (P = 0.027) compared with water consumption...Prebeta-HDL, apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), and lipoprotein A-I:A-II also increased by 31.6, 6.2, and 5.7% (P < 0.05), respectively
    J Lipid Res, 2004 · checked 2026-09-23