Everclear is an American brand name of a line of rectified spirit (also known as grain alcohol and neutral spirit) produced by the American company Luxco (formerly known as the David Sherman Corporation, and since 2021 a subsidiary of MGP Ingredients ). It is made from grain and is bottled at 60%, 75.5%, 94.5% and 95% alcohol by volume (120, 151, 189, and 190 U.S. proof respectively). Due to its market prevalence and having one of the highest alcohol contents of any beverage, the product has become iconic with a "notorious reputation" in popular culture. Sale of the 190-proof variant is prohibited in some states, which led Luxco to start selling the 189-proof version.
44-399: According to the manufacturer, Everclear "should be viewed as an unfinished ingredient", not consumed directly in undiluted form, and the company acknowledges that the product "has a rather notorious reputation" due to its high alcohol content. Rather than consuming Everclear directly, the company says it should be diluted by mixing it with water or other ingredients until the alcohol strength of
88-723: A percentage of total mass . The alc/vol value of a beverage is always higher than the ABW. Because ABW measures the proportion of the drink's mass which is alcohol, while alc/vol is the proportion of the drink's volume which is alcohol, the two values are in the same proportion as the drink's density is with the density of alcohol. Therefore, one can use the following equation to convert between ABV and ABW: ABV = ABW × density of beverage density of alcohol {\displaystyle {\text{ABV}}={\text{ABW}}\times {\frac {\text{density of beverage}}{\text{density of alcohol}}}} At relatively low alc/vol,
132-473: A 50% v/v ethanol solution, 50 mL of ethanol and 50 mL of water could be mixed but the resulting volume of solution will measure less than 100 mL due to the change of volume on mixing, and will contain a higher concentration of ethanol. The difference is not large, with the maximum difference being less than 2.5%, and less than 0.5% difference for concentrations under 20%. Some drinks have requirements of alcoholic content in order to be certified as
176-415: A certain alcohol brand or label. Low-alcohol beers (<0.5) are considered in some countries such as Iran as permitted (or "halal" under Muslim vocabulary) despite alcohol being banned. However, the level of alcohol-free beers is typically the lowest commercially sold 0.05. It is near impossible for a healthy person to become intoxicated drinking low-alcohol drinks. The low concentration severely limits
220-415: A desired level. Training the ability does not appear to require any information or procedure besides breathalyzer feedback, although most studies have provided information such as intoxication symptoms at different BAC levels. Subjects continue to retain the ability one month after training. After fatal accidents, it is common to check the blood alcohol levels of involved persons. However, soon after death,
264-457: A halt as the alcohol produced becomes too concentrated for the yeast to tolerate, defining an upper limit of alc/vol for non-distilled alcoholic drinks. The typical tolerance for beer yeasts is at 8–12%, while wine yeasts typically range from 14–18%, with speciality ones reaching 20% alc/vol. Any higher would require distillation, producing liquor . Details about typical amounts of alcohol contained in various beverages can be found in
308-404: A man or for a woman, where EBAC and β factors are given as g/dL (% BAC), such as a β factor of 0.015% BAC per hour. The examples above define a standard drink as 0.6 fluid ounces (14 g or 17.7 mL) of ethanol, whereas other definitions exist, for example 10 grams of ethanol. If individuals are asked to estimate their BAC, then given accurate feedback via a breathalyzer, and this procedure
352-420: Is 0.78945 g/mL (0.82353 oz/US fl oz; 0.79122 oz/imp fl oz; 0.45633 oz/cu in). The alc/vol standard is used worldwide. The International Organization of Legal Metrology has tables of density of water–ethanol mixtures at different concentrations and temperatures. In some countries, e.g. France , alcohol by volume is often referred to as degrees Gay-Lussac (after
396-441: Is 1.05 times that of water, it has a specific gravity of 1.05. In UK brewing usage, it is customary to regard the reference value for water to be 1000, so the specific gravity of the same example beer would be quoted as 1050. The formulas here assume that the former definition is used for specific gravity. During ethanol fermentation the yeast converts one mole of sugar into two moles of alcohol. A general formula for calculating
440-457: Is a standard measure of the volume of alcohol contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage , expressed as a volume percent . It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) of pure ethanol present in 100 mL (3.5 imp fl oz; 3.4 US fl oz) of solution at 20 °C (68 °F). The number of millilitres of pure ethanol is the mass of the ethanol divided by its density at 20 °C (68 °F), which
484-471: Is accurate and efficient. Hospitals typically use enzyme multiplied immunoassay , which measures the co-enzyme NADH . This method is more subject to error but may be performed rapidly in parallel with other blood sample measurements. In Germany, BAC is determined by measuring the serum level and then converting to whole blood by dividing by the factor 1.236. This calculation underestimates BAC by 4% to 10% compared to other methods. The amount of alcohol on
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#1732793722760528-501: Is also possible to use other units. For example, in the 1930s Widmark measured alcohol and blood by mass, and thus reported his concentrations in units of g/kg or mg/g, weight alcohol per weight blood. Blood is denser than water and 1 mL of blood has a mass of approximately 1.055 grams, thus a mass-volume BAC of 1 g/L corresponds to a mass-mass BAC of 0.948 mg/g. Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, and Switzerland use mass-mass concentrations in their laws, but this distinction
572-439: Is also regulated. Some jurisdictions also regulate bicycling under the influence. The alcohol level at which a person is considered legally impaired to drive varies by country. Retrograde extrapolation is the mathematical process by which someone's blood alcohol concentration at the time of driving is estimated by projecting backwards from a later chemical test. This involves estimating the absorption and elimination of alcohol in
616-529: Is also used for extracting flavor from other ingredients to make infusions and tinctures because of its neutral flavor profile. Luxco also manufactures two other brands, Golden Grain alcohol and Crystal Clear alcohol, as essentially the same spirit with a different brand name. Several other brands of grain neutral spirits are also available on the market from other companies. Ethanol cannot be concentrated by ordinary distillation to greater than 97.2% by volume (95.6% by weight), because at that concentration,
660-460: Is expressed as mass of alcohol per volume of blood. In the US and many international publications, BAC levels are written as a percentage such as 0.08%, meaning that there is 0.08 g of alcohol for every 100 mL of blood. In different countries, the maximum permitted BAC when driving ranges from the limit of detection ( zero tolerance ) to 0.08%. BAC levels above 0.40% are potentially fatal. BAC
704-524: Is generally defined as a fraction of weight of alcohol per volume of blood, with an SI coherent derived unit of kg/m or equivalently grams per liter (g/L). Countries differ in how this quantity is normally expressed. Common formats are listed in the table below. For example, the US and many international publications present BAC as a percentage, such as 0.05%. This would be interpreted as 0.05 grams per deciliter of blood. This same concentration could be expressed as 0.5‰ or 50 mg% in other countries. It
748-546: Is less subject to the effects of decomposition or contamination. For purposes of law enforcement, blood alcohol content is used to define intoxication and provides a rough measure of impairment. Although the degree of impairment may vary among individuals with the same blood alcohol content, it can be measured objectively and is therefore legally useful and difficult to contest in court. Most countries forbid operation of motor vehicles and heavy machinery above prescribed levels of blood alcohol content. Operation of boats and aircraft
792-434: Is most accurate when used to estimate BAC a few hours after drinking a single dose of alcohol in a fasted state, and can be within 20% CV of the true value. It is not at all realistic for the absorption phase, and is not accurate for BAC levels below 0.2 g/L (alcohol is not eliminated as quickly as predicted) and consumption with food (overestimating the peak BAC and time to return to zero). The equation varies depending on
836-404: Is often skipped over in public materials, implicitly assuming that 1 L of blood weighs 1 kg. In pharmacokinetics , it is common to use the amount of substance , in moles , to quantify the dose. As the molar mass of ethanol is 46.07 g/mol, a BAC of 1 g/L is 21.706 mmol/L (21.706 mM). The magnitude of sensory impairment may vary in people of differing weights. The NIAAA defines
880-404: Is repeated a number of times during a drinking session, studies show that these individuals can learn to discriminate their BAC, to within a mean error of 9 mg/100 mL (0.009% BAC). The ability is robust to different types of alcohol, different drink quantities, and drinks with unknown levels of alcohol. Trained individuals can even drink alcoholic drinks so as to adjust or maintain their BAC at
924-642: Is sugar by weight and SG is relative density. SG can be measured using an hydrometer and Brix can be calculated from SG. One of the accurate formulas for calculating Brix from SG is: By substituting Brix in the SBV formula above, we get a formula for calculating SBV from SG only: The general calculation steps involves calculation of SBV at the start and the end of fermentation: Advanced formula derived from Carl Balling empirical formulas. The formula compensates for changes in SG with changes in alcohol concentration and for
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#1732793722760968-1225: Is the specific gravity when fermentation ends, Plato start is the sugar by weight when fermentation begins, Plato final is the sugar by weight when fermentation ends. Brix can be used insted of Plato as they are nearly identical. The simplest method for wine has been described by English author Cyril Berry : ABV ≈ 136 × ( Starting SG − Final SG ) {\displaystyle {\text{ABV}}\approx 136\times \left({\text{Starting SG}}-{\text{Final SG}}\right)} One calculation for beer is: ABV ≈ 131 × ( Starting SG − Final SG ) {\displaystyle {\text{ABV}}\approx 131\times \left({\text{Starting SG}}-{\text{Final SG}}\right)} For higher ABV above 6% many brewers use this formula: alc/vol ≈ 105 0.79 × ( Starting SG − Final SG Final SG ) {\displaystyle {\text{alc/vol}}\approx {\frac {105}{0.79}}\times \left({\frac {{\text{Starting SG}}-{\text{Final SG}}}{\text{Final SG}}}\right)} Another way of specifying
1012-400: Is used to measure the change in specific gravity (SG) of the solution before and after fermentation. The volume of alcohol in the solution can then be estimated. There are a number of empirical formulae which brewers and winemakers use to estimate the alcohol content of the liquor made. Specific gravity is the density of a liquid relative to that of water, i.e., if the density of the liquid
1056-486: Is usually found in non-polar mixtures. Thus, alc/vol is not the same as volume fraction expressed as a percentage. Volume fraction, which is widely used in chemistry (commonly denoted as v/v), is defined as the volume of a particular component divided by the sum of all components in the mixture when they are measured separately. For example, to make 100 mL of 50% alc/vol ethanol solution, water would be added to 50 mL of ethanol to make up exactly 100 mL. Whereas to make
1100-682: The United Kingdom , proof is 1.75 times the number (expressed as a percentage). For example, 40% alc/vol is 80 proof in the US and 70 proof in the UK. However, since 1980, alcohol proof in the UK has been replaced by alc/vol as a measure of alcohol content, avoiding confusion between the UK and US proof standards. In the United States, Arkansas , Kansas , Mississippi , South Carolina , and Tennessee regulate and tax alcoholic beverages according to alcohol by weight ( ABW ), expressed as
1144-608: The French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac ), although there is a slight difference since the Gay-Lussac convention uses the International Standard Atmosphere value for temperature, 15 °C (59 °F). Mixing two solutions of alcohol of different strengths usually causes a change in volume. Mixing pure water with a solution less than 24% by mass causes a slight increase in total volume, whereas
1188-406: The accuracy of a breathalyzer test, but they are the most common method for measuring alcohol concentrations in most jurisdictions. Blood alcohol content can be quickly estimated by a model developed by Swedish professor Erik Widmark in the 1920s. The model corresponds to a pharmacokinetic single-compartment model with instantaneous absorption and zero-order kinetics for elimination. The model
1232-476: The alcohol percentage by weight is about 4/5 of the alc/vol (e.g., 3.2% ABW is about 4% alc/vol). However, because of the miscibility of alcohol and water, the conversion factor is not constant but rather depends upon the concentration of alcohol. Blood alcohol content Blood alcohol content ( BAC ), also called blood alcohol concentration or blood alcohol level , is a measurement of alcohol intoxication used for legal or medical purposes. BAC
1276-451: The amount and type of food consumed. In an increasing number of states, laws have been enacted to facilitate this speculative task: the blood alcohol content at the time of driving is legally presumed to be the same as when later tested. There are usually time limits put on this presumption, commonly two or three hours, and the defendant is permitted to offer evidence to rebut this presumption. Forward extrapolation can also be attempted. If
1320-416: The amount of alcohol consumed is known, along with such variables as the weight and sex of the subject and period and rate of consumption, the blood alcohol level can be estimated by extrapolating forward. Although subject to the same infirmities as retrograde extrapolation—guessing based upon averages and unknown variables—this can be relevant in estimating BAC when driving and/or corroborating or contradicting
1364-536: The amount of alcohol content is alcohol proof , which in the United States is twice the alcohol-by-volume (alc/vol) number. This may lead to confusion over similar products bought in varying regions that have different names on country-specific labels. For example, Stroh rum that is 80% ABV is advertised and labeled as Stroh 80 when sold in Europe, but is named Stroh 160 when sold in the United States. In
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1408-547: The articles about them. (most juices do not have alcohol but orange or grape [the highest here] may have some from early fermentation) Under 2.5% in Finland, and 2.25% in Sweden, however. During the production of wine and beer, yeast is added to a sugary solution. During fermentation, the yeasts consume the sugars and produce alcohol. The density of sugar in water is greater than the density of alcohol in water. A hydrometer
1452-567: The body begins to putrefy , a biological process which produces ethanol. This can make it difficult to conclusively determine the blood alcohol content in autopsies, particularly in bodies recovered from water. For instance, following the 1975 Moorgate tube crash , the driver's kidneys had a blood alcohol concentration of 80 mg/100 mL, but it could not be established how much of this could be attributed to natural decomposition. Newer research has shown that vitreous (eye) fluid provides an accurate estimate of blood alcohol concentration that
1496-488: The breath can be measured, without requiring drawing blood, by blowing into a breathalyzer , resulting in a breath alcohol content (BrAC). The BrAC specifically correlates with the concentration of alcohol in arterial blood, satisfying the equation BAC arterial = BrAC × 2251 ± 46 . Its correlation with the standard BAC found by drawing venous blood is less strong. Jurisdictions vary in the statutory conversion factor from BrAC to BAC, from 2000 to 2400. Many factors may affect
1540-510: The drink is "no more dangerous than other spirits or liqueurs on the shelf". For example, ordinary vodka, gin, rum and tequila have an alcohol concentration typically around 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), and liqueurs are typically around 20% alcohol (40 proof). Everclear is also used as a household "food-grade" cleaner, disinfectant, or stove fuel alcohol because its fumes and odor are less offensive than isopropyl , rubbing, and denatured alcohol which are toxic to breathe or drink. Everclear
1584-584: The fact that not all sugar is converted into alcohol. All values are measured at 20 degree C. A B V = − 118772 × SG final × ( Plato start − Plato final ) ( Plato start − 193.765 ) × ( Plato start + 1220 ) {\displaystyle ABV={\frac {-118772\times {\text{SG final}}\times ({\text{Plato start}}-{\text{Plato final}})}{({\text{Plato start}}-193.765)\times ({\text{Plato start}}+1220)}}} where SG final
1628-408: The interim between driving and testing. The rate of elimination in the average person is commonly estimated at 0.015 to 0.020 grams per deciliter per hour (g/dL/h), although again this can vary from person to person and in a given person from one moment to another. Metabolism can be affected by numerous factors, including such things as body temperature, the type of alcoholic beverage consumed, and
1672-441: The mixing of two solutions above 24% causes a decrease in volume. The phenomenon of volume changes due to mixing dissimilar solutions is called " partial molar volume ". Water and ethanol are both polar solvents. When water is added to ethanol, the smaller water molecules are attracted to the ethanol's hydroxyl group, and each molecule alters the polarity field of the other. The attraction allows closer spacing between molecules than
1716-438: The rate of intake, which is easily dispatched by human metabolism. Quickly drinking 1.5 L of 0.4% alc/vol beer in an hour resulted in a maximum of 0.0056% BAC in a study of German volunteers. Healthy human kidneys can only excrete 0.8–1.0 L of water per hour, making water intoxication likely to set in before any alcoholic intoxication. The process of ethanol fermentation will slow down and eventually come to
1760-423: The resulting alcohol concentration by volume can be written: where SBV fermented is sugar by volume (g/dL) converted to alcohol during fermentation and GECF is the glucose-ethanol conversion factor: where 46.069 is the molar mass of ethanol and 180.156 is the molar mass of glucose and fructose . Sugar by volume is calculated at the beginning (start) and at the end (final) of the fermentation: where Brix
1804-671: The results of a later chemical test. The pharmacokinetics of ethanol are well characterized by the ADME acronym (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion). Besides the dose ingested, factors such as the person's total body water , speed of drinking, the drink's nutritional content, and the contents of the stomach all influence the profile of blood alcohol content (BAC) over time. Breath alcohol content (BrAC) and BAC have similar profile shapes, so most forensic pharmacokinetic calculations can be done with either. Relatively few studies directly compare BrAC and BAC within subjects and characterize
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1848-481: The term " binge drinking " as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. Blood samples for BAC analysis are typically obtained by taking a venous blood sample from the arm. A variety of methods exist for determining blood-alcohol concentration in a blood sample. Forensic laboratories typically use headspace-gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry or flame ionization detection, as this method
1892-1041: The units and approximations used, but in its simplest form is given by: where: A standard drink, defined by the WHO as 10 grams of pure alcohol, is the most frequently used measure in many countries . Examples: E B A C = 20 / ( 0.71 ⋅ 80 ) − ( 0.148 ⋅ 1 ) ≈ 0.204 g/L = 0.0204 % BAC {\displaystyle EBAC=20/(0.71\cdot 80)-(0.148\cdot 1)\approx 0.204{\text{g/L}}=0.0204\%{\text{BAC}}} E B A C = 10 / ( 0.58 ⋅ 70 ) − ( 0.156 ⋅ 1 ) ≈ 0.098 g/L = 0.0098 % BAC {\displaystyle EBAC=10/(0.58\cdot 70)-(0.156\cdot 1)\approx 0.098{\text{g/L}}=0.0098\%{\text{BAC}}} In terms of fluid ounces of alcohol consumed and weight in pounds, Widmark's formula can be simply approximated as for
1936-551: The vapor has the same ratio of water to alcohol as the liquid, a phenomenon known as azeotropy . The 190-proof variant of Everclear is 92.4% ethanol by weight and is thus produced at approximately the practical limit of distillation purity. Some U.S. states impose limits on maximum alcohol content, or have other restrictions that prohibit the sale of the 190-proof variant of Everclear, and several of those also effectively prohibit lower-proof Everclear. Alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as alc/vol or ABV )
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