Alcoholic Proof

All whisky, regardless of its classification will have certain information upon its label. One of the most common types of information found on a bottle of whisky is its alcoholic proof. Often regulated by law, the alcoholic proof is regarded as the measure of alcohol contained within the whisky.

The statement regarding alcohol proof is more commonly found on American made whisky. In the case of Scotch, it may only read the percentage of alcohol per volume. To obtain the alcoholic proof number, one would take the alcohol percentage and double it. For instance, if the whisky label were to read 40% alcohol by volume, the proof would be 80.

Aside from its being a government mandated procedure, the offering of ABV (alcohol by volume) information serves a purpose. In fact, providing this information serves two purposes. First, providing the alcohol by volume information aids the government in the taxation of the spirit. Secondly, ABV information can allow the consumer a better understanding of how much alcohol they are consuming. In some countries, including Australia alcoholic content per beverage is measured by means of how quickly the liver can process it. This information is often used in comparison to a standard drink and in some countries is contained on the label of the spirit.

Alcoholic proof became regulated by both the United States and Britain in 1980 following recommendation of the International Organization of Legal Metrology or the OIML. The transition to alcoholic proof measurement replaced the Sikes method in Britain which had been in place for over a century. The only difference between the two measurements is the manner in which the information is utilized. The Sikes method utilized alcohol by degrees whereas the new method utilized alcohol content by percentage.