Did you know whisky lovers often talk about ABV?

Tuesday, 25 November 2025 at 15:00

It’s Tuesday, which means it’s time for a new Did you know? This time we’re talking about ABV: alcohol by volume. Because did you know this term is used all the time in the whisky world?

ABV stands for Alcohol by Volume. It indicates the percentage of alcohol in a bottle of whisky, expressed as a percentage by volume. For example: an ABV of 40% means that in every 100 mL of liquid, 40 mL is pure alcohol.

Where does it come from?

Measuring alcohol content used to be mainly about taxes and quality: the stronger the drink, the higher the tax or the bolder the flavor.

The modern definition of ABV states that it’s the ratio between the volume of ethanol (at a given temperature) and the total volume of the liquid.

In the whisky world, this standard became important because there are often legal minimums (for instance, a whisky must be at least 40% ABV to be labeled as whisky).

The ABV percentage gives you an instant idea of how powerful a whisky is. Both in terms of alcohol and flavor intensity. A lower ABV often makes a whisky easier to drink and more approachable, while a higher ABV typically brings more aroma and more punch on the palate.

What alcohol percentages do you see in whisky?

In general, standard whisky is bottled around 40% ABV. This is often the minimum for the spirit to qualify as whisky.

But you’ll also find plenty of bottles at 46% or higher, and then there’s the category of so-called cask strength whiskies. These are bottled straight from the cask at a significantly higher strength (often 50% or more). In short, when you open a bottle and see something like “ABV 43%,” you know that bottle contains 43% alcohol. The rest is water plus flavor compounds. So pay attention to the ABV on the label next time you buy a bottle or give one as a gift.

FAQ

What does ABV mean?
ABV tells you what percentage of a drink is pure alcohol. The higher the percentage, the stronger the drink.

How is ABV measured?
ABV is calculated by determining the ratio of alcohol to the total amount of liquid, typically using distillation or hydrometers.