Many people find clear liquors taste cleaner and sharper than dark liquors, however, most of what people enjoy is a matter of personal preference and habit.
However, compared with dark liquor, clear varieties will result in a slightly less-intense hangover, gram per gram consumed. Even if they do turn up in a clear alcohol, they can be removed before the product is bottled and sold.Įven though they don't contain congeners, clear alcohol can certainly lead to hangovers if you drink enough of it! Alcohol (ethanol) itself has toxic effects. Secondly, congeners can be removed with purification processes. Depending on what you ferment - potatoes for vodka versus grains for whiskey - you may generate fewer of these extraneous substances to begin with. What different elements make up clear alcohol and how can they impact the body?Ĭlear alcohols contain little to no congeners for two reasons. The headache, body aches, nausea and heartburn delivered by alcohol are worse if that alcohol also contained congeners. The result is a worse overall hangover experience after drinking dark liquor compared with drinking the same amount of a clear liquor. Congeners don't worsen the toxic effects of alcohol, but they can add to these effects. Of course, alcohol itself is toxic as far as the body is concerned, and this is why alcohol in excess leads to hangovers. However, that’s not the end of the story with congeners: They can worsen a hangover.Įven though congeners occur in very tiny amounts, some of them are considered toxic. Only the ABV or proof determines how significantly an alcoholic beverage will affect or impair a person's cognitive abilities and coordination. Examples of congeners include methanol, acetone (same stuff found nail polish remover), tannins, esters and aldehydes.Īlcohol researchers have proven congeners do not affect how intoxicated or "drunk" a person will become when ingesting alcohol. Beer and red wine also contain congeners. Anything that is not ethanol - the form of alcohol intended for drinking - can be considered a congener.Ĭongeners include substances that give both color and unique flavors to gold and brown alcohol varieties such as whiskey (the "e" means it's American), scotch whisky (no "e" means it's from Scotland), bourbon, tequila, rum, brandy, rye and cognac.
They are generated during fermentation, distillation and in some cases, aging. Congeners are small amounts of naturally occurring substances in dark alcohol. What elements make up dark alcohol and how can they impact the body?ĭark alcohol gets its color from substances called congeners. This is why the best way to "compare apples to apples" is to compare only alcohol varieties that have the same proof, or alcohol by volume. However, you'll also end up with fewer calories from the alcohol itself, because you're diluting the alcohol and lowering the proof. So on a calorie density basis, alcohol falls somewhere between fat - a very dense source of calories - and carbohydrates and protein.įor hard alcohol with added sugar, you may end up with more calories from carbohydrates.