whiskey

Beverages

Is whiskey high in alcohol?

Alcohol status

Avoid

Is whiskey high or low in alcohol? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.

Related checkers

Compare whiskey across criteria

HistamineLow Histamine LiberatorsLow FODMAPsSafe FructansSafe GOSSafe FructoseSafe

Sensitivity notes

Why alcohol food checker matters

Alcohol affects how your body responds to certain foods. Understanding your personal tolerance helps you make informed choices.

Keep a detailed food and symptom diary to track your personal reactions
Eliminate the suspected trigger completely for 2-4 weeks
Reintroduce gradually to find your personal tolerance threshold
Work with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian for guidance
Remember that food sensitivities can change over time

Sensitivities

What whiskey contains

FODMAPs

FODMAPsSafe

FructansSafe

GOSSafe

FructoseSafe

PolyolsSafe

LactoseSafe

Histamine & Amines

HistamineLow

Histamine LiberatorsLow

TyramineLow

Plant compounds

SalicylatesLow

OxalatesLow

LectinSafe

NightshadesSafe

Irritants

CaffeineSafe

AlcoholAvoid

Spicy FoodsSafe

Acidic Foods

Additives

SulfitesSafe

NitritesSafe

GlutamatesLow

Allergens

Dairy ProteinsSafe

GlutenSafe

EggSafe

PeanutSafe

Tree NutsSafe

SoySafe

FishSafe

CrustaceansSafe

MolluscsSafe

SesameSafe

CelerySafe

MustardSafe

LupinSafe

Alpha-galSafe

NickelLow

Diet fit

Where whiskey fits

Therapeutic diets

Low HistamineFit

Low SalicylateFit

Low Fermentation

EoE CompatibleFit

AIPAvoid

InflammationNo data

Reflux DietAvoid

Specific CarbohydrateCheck

Low FibreFit

Gastroparesis DietAvoid

Lifestyle diets

VeganFit

VegetarianFit

PescatarianFit

MediterraneanNo data

DASH DietCheck

PaleoAvoid

Whole30Avoid

KetoFit

Low-carbFit

Religious diets

HalalAvoid

KosherFit

Hindu (no beef)Fit

JainAvoid

Buddhist VegetarianAvoid

Orthodox FastingCheck

Ingredient notes

What to know about whiskey

Whiskey is the umbrella for a whole family of grain spirits aged in oak: bourbon from a corn-heavy mash, rye, Irish pot still, Canadian, Japanese and Scotch from malted barley. Whatever the grain, the finished spirit grades A for gluten and A across fructans, lactose and every other FODMAP column, because both the sugars and the cereal protein are left behind in the still. What ageing adds instead is congeners, the methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols, tannins and oak phenols that give whiskey its colour and its character. Congener load is the clearest thing that separates whiskey from a neutral spirit in the data: controlled comparisons of matched doses have repeatedly found the darker, congener-rich drink produces the worse hangover. Whiskey grades B for histamine and B for tyramine, low to moderate rather than clean, and A for sulfites, which is the one big advantage it holds over wine.

Watch for

Congeners scale with colour and cask time.Bourbon has been measured at dozens of times the congener content of vodka, and when researchers matched the alcohol dose the bourbon group reported markedly worse next-day symptoms. Blended and lightly aged whiskeys sit lower than heavily aged or sherry-cask bottlings
Histamine and tyramine both grade B.Neither is high, but a barrel-aged spirit is not the blank slate a filtered neutral spirit is, and alcohol amplifies whatever amines are already in circulation
Sulfites grade A.Unlike wine, whiskey is not sulfited, so if red wine reliably gives you a flushed face or a wheeze and whiskey does not, sulfites are a reasonable thing to suspect
Gluten grades A but liqueurs do not follow the same rule.Cream liqueurs, honey and spiced whiskey liqueurs and pre-mixed cans have dairy, sugar and flavourings added back after distillation, and those additions are not covered by the distillation argument
Poor for SIBO (grade E), and a spirit taken neat delivers a high concentration of ethanol to an already irritable gut

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