Sugar content.

[Ray58]

Curiosity question:  since sugar is used in the distilling process (which I believe comes from the corn), and then it is transformed into alcohol, how much sugar is left in the bourbon itself?  New diet.  Cutting out sugars and starches.  Long story.  Not willing to give up bourbon or cigars.  I will cut back a bit, but not totally give it up.  It's just too good.

[BigRich]

Very little to none. The distillation process causes alcohol and water to vaporize and condense in the still. Residual sugar left in mash after yeast driven alcohol conversion would nearly all reside in the spent mash at the end of distillation. Sweet flavors would primarily come from chemical interactions with the barrel during aging. For dieting purposes, the alcohol is the main calorie driver. Not sugar.


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[DCFan]

10 minutes ago, BigRich said:

 For dieting purposes, the alcohol is the main calorie driver. Not sugar.

Now I always thought the body converted alcohol to sugar which if wasn’t burned off by work/activity/exercise was stored as fat.

[Ray58]

Ok, thanks.  I knew it was something like that, but wasn't sure of the specifics.   Appreciate the info.

[CardsandBourbon]

Bourbon is not one of the 4 basic food groups?  I guess you'll just have to give up eating then.

[Kane]

10 hours ago, Ray58 said:

Curiosity question:  since sugar is used in the distilling process (which I believe comes from the corn), and then it is transformed into alcohol, how much sugar is left in the bourbon itself?  New diet.  Cutting out sugars and starches.  Long story.  Not willing to give up bourbon or cigars.  I will cut back a bit, but not totally give it up.  It's just too good.

On a side note: Do you have a medical condition that requires you to specifically cut back on sugar? Because if not, and if your goal is to lose weight, alcoholic drinks are the last thing you should worry about, at around 150 kcal per high-proof pour. That's probably half the calories you get in the dressing of a so-called diet salad.

[Harry in WashDC]

13 hours ago, Kane said:

 On a side note: Do you have a medical condition that requires you to specifically cut back on sugar? Because if not, and if your goal is to lose weight, alcoholic drinks are the last thing you should worry about, at around 150 kcal per high-proof pour. That's probably half the calories you get in the dressing of a so-called diet salad.

Thanks for this.  I'll give up salads for Lent and maybe for the rest of the year and just watch those pounds melt off. 

[ThirstyinOhio]

On ‎1‎/‎7‎/‎2018 at 2:26 PM, DCFan said:

Now I always thought the body converted alcohol to sugar which if wasn’t burned off by work/activity/exercise was stored as fat.

Actually, alcohol (ethanol) is too simple to be turned into fat, well only about 3% of it can be turned into fat, however, the body will use up the alcohol in your system before consuming other sugars and it can lead to fat oxidation which increases the ability of your body to store those sugars in fat cells.

 

In summary, if you are worried about drinking bourbon while on a diet simply don't drink immediately before, during, or after eating.  Give you body time to process through the alcohol before taking in other calories and you won't gain an ounce from it....plus you'll get buzzed faster if that is your thing.

 

The scientific info about lipogenesis and alcohol in case you care to read it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10539756

 

 

Edited January 8, 2018 by ThirstyinOhio

[tanstaafl2]

You end up with wood sugars ( cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) in aged whiskey but it is generally not very much. Outside of tightly regulated American whiskey like bourbon/rye you can get caramel added. It doesn't add much sugar but probably some.

Oddly charred casks likely impart less sugar than toasted oak as well.

 

An exception might be a cask that previously held wine or sherry (especially a sweet wine like PX sherry) but even then I suspect you would likely have to drink a lot to have much impact.

 

Of course Canadian whisky can have about 9% of what ever the hell they want in it!

 

Yes, I read books and articles about this kind of thing...

[cpfoutz]

Even if you are diabetic, alcohol actually lowers your blood sugar.  In fact,t he concern is if you use insulin, you should back off it while drinking as alcohol can take your blood sugar too low.  

 

That being said, a diabetic should expect a spike in blood sugar the morning after.