Difference between alcohol / liquors?

[Ciggies and coffee]

The type of liquor that I saviour is whiskey. I'm not
sure if there's something about whiskey that's "different" from other
types of booze, but I found it to be somewhat more euphoric and more
stimulating than other liquors.

So, anyone have a decent explanation as to why whiskey seems to be a
bit more euphoric than other spirits?

My main question is, premium whiskey (Jack Daniel's, etc.) THAT much harder/more toxic on your body than, say, premium brand vodka (Smirnoff, etc.) ?

I remember I bought a cheap $7 bottle of whiskey a few years ago and could actually see the oils floating in it. I don't know what it was composed of, but it gave me the worst hangover. Something about wood barrels that absorbs the toxic oils and other byproducts, the cheap stuff isn't aged and those compounds remain to give you a hangover.

What kind of crap am I throwing into my system when I drink whiskey
straight (shots), as opposed to straight vodka?

For those of you experienced with alcohol (or alcoholism, if that be
the case), what would you say is the most stimulating of the various
liquors, what would you say is the most sedating? I'm not counting
wine or beer in this because you have to load up on them to get high,
and I don't like to do that too often. I'm not counting cognac or
liqueurs, either, I don't do those.

Any particularly stimulating mixed drinks? I've tried vodka/red bull
before but it didn't seem to do the trick. Gin and tonic anyone?

For the cleanest buzz, what's the liquor of choice?
Besides wine or beer of course.

any insight appreciated, thanks.

[mike_c]

1. shouldn't this be in the firearms forum...?

eom

[unblock]

3. you owe me a new keyboard!

:spray: :spray: :spray:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[htuttle]

2. The level of sugar in the drink seems to have a bearing

For example, sweet, fruity Rum drinks tend to make me dance on a table like a pirate, but give me a case of the Davy Joneses ("Arrrgh! Arrgh!") the next day.

[Sammy Pepys]

4. Finally, something I do know about....

Different types of alcohol affects different people in different ways. For instance, I can drink beer pretty much all day long without much of a problem. Wine will get me buzzed, and usually make me fall asleep after two or three glasses. Gin, my favorite spirit, will get me buzzed and a little jumpy, whereas whiskey/scotch will generally make me sort of chilled out.

Obviously, different liquors are going to have different concentrations of alcohol, be made in different ways, and will have different ingredients and that will have different affects on different people. You might appreciate the strength of the drink differently, and drink it faster or slower as a result. That's how it works with me with gin/vodka versus whiskey.

I think the clearer the liquor, the cleaner the buzz and the less chance of a hangover later. Google "congeners" for more on that.

You want something with a kick? Try some absinthe. Good luck finding it stateside though....it's "unlegal" in the US.

[tatertop]

5. Absinthe. I have not thought about that in years.

[Warpy]

6. Alcohol is a poison, period. However, the human body is able

to tolerate small amounts of it pleasantly, until the liver converts it into acetylaldehyde, and the hangover crashes in. Moderation is the key. The human body is capable of metabolizing one shot of distilled alcohol (whiskey, brandy, vodka, what have you), one glass of wine, or one beer per hour. If you down four shots in an hour, you are not going to have a normal blood alcohol until four hours later, although the buzz will be greatly dissipated by then and you will be feeling all the awful effects of 4 drinks' worth of acetylaldehyde. Women are hit a lot harder by the same qantity of alcohol and their bodies may take a bit longer to metabolize that one standard drink.

Studies have shown that people with the highest predisposition to alcoholism generally take the most alcohol to give them that initial buzz and the most alcohol to produce a hangover. There can be exceptions to this as with any statistic, but it's true in a large majority of cases.

Alcohol is basically alcohol, no matter what form it takes, so that your drink of choice relies solely on your own personal taste. There is no difference in hangover producing quality between clear liquors like gin or vodka and brown liquors like Scotch or Bourbon, they're all alcohol and they produce the acetylaldehyde that gives you the hangover. However, you're correct in that there are vast differences in quality between the stuff in the plastic bottles sold by the half gallon on the bargain shelves, and the aged in wood stuff in the fancy glass bottles. Both will get you buzzed, but the latter will do it a bit more pleasantly, unless your tastebuds have been completely corroded.

Guidelines are 1 drink a night is considered moderate drinking. 1-2 drinks a night are considered heavy drinking, and more than 2 drinks a night mean you may have the beginning of a problem. AA has a quiz that will tell you whether or not you're developing a problem with alcohol which may be useful to some people who just aren't sure.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

7. I'm going to lock this thread.

This really has nothing to do with health & this is the Health Forum.

best,
wakemeupwhenitsover
DU Moderator