How much sugar is in whiskey? I have always thought that the distillation process would eliminate the residual sugar in the mash and that whiskey would be almost free of any sugar. Does anyone know how many sugar molecules escape during distillation?
None to speak of...low carbers love the hard stuff because it has zero carbs (although there are plenty of calories)
Alcohol is not a carbohydrate?
That's right, it's an... alcohol. :-)
Right, C2H6O if I'm not mistaken? So at what point does a carb stop being a carb? Wikipedia says, in part:
Carbohydrates are chemical compounds that contain oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon atoms. They consist of monosaccharide sugars of varying chain lengths and that have the general chemical formula Cn(H2O)n or are derivatives of such.
Ah. Hydrate as in H2O, not H6O as in ethanol. Go figure.
It's been too long, or not enough, since college chemistry class. I'll go with "not long enough" actually.
In the religion of low carb, it is "something else" - lovely science, that. Carbs, protein, and fat are all metabolized into sugars the body uses for energy. The whole idea behind low carb (which has been around for many decades before the craze that has just recently passed) is that it is harder to metabolize protein than it is carbs and even more difficult to metabolize fats. If you remove the majority of carbs, the body works harder to use the remaining energy sources in protein and fat and you set yourself up for easier weight loss. BUT, you can't just eat unlimited steaks and three sticks of butter a day, as some would like you to believe. Calories definitely DO count.
Alcohol is a fourth "fuel" that is used first, before anything else, by the body, which is the reason, aside from high calorie content, that alcohol consumption is strongly discouraged on most LC plans. A healthy dram of SMS will stop LC weight loss dead in its tracks for a week. This, among other things, is why I am glad to have lost my weight! (almost five years)
Yabut, it turns into...
I've always figured the way to go to lose weight, is to take in fewer calories than you exert. You know, eat less and move around more. Hard to sell books with that as a method, because it's too short and obvious. Also wouldn't sell because it tells people that it's how they're chosing to behave that adds to the problem, which people really, really don't like to hear.
Because it gives the body an easy source of fuel, rather than burning fat or whatever to get the energy? Makes sense.
I get a lot of exercise just keeping my property up. Lots of trees to trim, weeds to control, critters to keep out of the vegetable garden, that sort of thing. Move around more, isn't a problem, at least not so far. In the meantime I'll continue enjoying a bottle of SMS every 3 months or so which seems to be my rate.
Not to belabor this discussion here, but yup. That's the little secret that rabid low carbers won't mention. It's still about the calories. All low carb does is reduce cravings and hunger by a lot...it was easier for me to eat less, because it didn;t seem like I was eating less. Over at alt.support.low-carb, they'll have you believe that protein calories are somehow less harmful than carb calories....they love to say you can eat more low carb than high carb calories...bull! Any diet works IF you can follow it and stay with it.
Now to return to our regular programming....I really need some Glenfarclas CS!
Uzytkownik "Dave Hinz" napisal:
Sorry, my mistake. I just didn't notice the lack of the last "H" in C2H6O, only the "6" drew my attention. And for some reason or other, my chemistry teachers always taught me there should be an "OH" at the end of alcohols. Apparently, that is not necessarily the case as I've just checked.
Cheers, Rajmund
No worries.
I've seen it done both ways. My high school teachers did it one way, and in college it was the other way.
Well, I'm sure either makes sense depending on why you're using the formula. For teaching, the trailing "OH" makes the structure more recognizable. If you're trying to figure out what you'll have after a reaction, the other way probably makes more sense.
On a lighter note, I'm thinking of buying something in the $70.00 range tonight, been out of SMS for a while at home. Anyone got a suggestion in the somewhat-peaty area? Oban, Talisker, something like that?
Talisker, Dave, definitely.
Can't go wrong with a classic. I'm not up to a whole bottle of Lagavulin, but I need something peaty this time. Thanks
Dave
I've also wondered about where the sweetness in whisky comes from - whether it's from sugar or some other substance that "fools" the tounge the way sacharin and Nutrasweet do?
Even if maltose doesn't survive fermentation and distillation I suppose the oak could contribute some plant sugars. It certainly contributes vanillin which makes things taste sweeter than they are - that's one of the reasons bakers add vanilla to cookies and cakes and such.
And if the whisky is aged in sherry or port casks it might aquire some sugar from the previous occupants.
Beyond that it's still an open question as far as I know.
Bart
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(How long will a bottle of whisky keep?)
If unopened - Ad Infinitum! If opened - until temptation prevails.
------ Jas Milne in alt.drinks.scotch-whisky 28 Feb 2003
When I first started reading Michael Jackson's whisky reviews he would constantly talk about a malt's sweetness, and I would think, "Sweet? Where do you get sweet?!? For chrissakes, it is WHISKY you are talking about." But sweetness describes a lot of really luscious, malty whiskies I love (when I was 10 years old I was addicted to Horlicks malt tablets available at our local pharmacy--and in my teens I would never a touch a "shake" that did not contain the precious powder that made it a "malted milk").
So there's no sugar?
Hi Douglas,
I certainly taste sweetness in many whiskies, and as I said before some of that sweetness might come from the cask. I just don't know if any of the sugars from the malted barley survive fermentation and distillation.
Whether there is actual sugar in whisky is a question for chemists, analysts, and the chromatograph boys. I haven't seen any info on that. I would be interested though, if I knew where to look.
Bart
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When I took a sip, I knew it wouldn't kill me, either, but there are just some things that you know you'll wish you hadn't survived...
---- The Ranger in alt.drinks.scotch-whisky (Regarding tasting an old bottle of Chiveas Regal)
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