Answer: Proof is defined as twice the alcohol (ethanol) content by volume. For example, a whisky with 50% alcohol is 100-proof whiskey. Anything 120-proof would contain 60% alcohol, and 80-proof means 40% of the liquid is alcohol.
What’s the History of Proof in Alcohol?
The word proof came about in the 18th century when sailors, unloading their ships of cargo and whiskey, had only one way to tell the strength of the liquor they were carrying: they would mix a little bit of whiskey with a pinch of gunpowder and drop a lighted match into the mixture. If it ignited with an audible “proof!”, the sailors knew at least half the content was alcohol.
How Do We Measure Alcoholic Content Today?
Today, we measure alcohol content as alcohol by volume (ABV), or the percentage of the liquid in the bottle that is alcohol, even though proofs can be found on the labels of distilled spirits.
How to tell Good Moonshine from Bad Moonshine
What is a proof of moonshine?
Proofing is a measurement system used to determine the alcohol content in spirits. In the US, the proof is defined as twice the alcohol by volume (ABV), while in the UK, it is defined as 1.75 times the ABV. By measuring the proof of moonshine, you can determine its strength and compare it to commercially available spirits.
How strong is a bottle of moonshine?
This means your average bottle of 40% ABV moonshine will be 80 proof. Your moonshine’s proof can be either high or low depending on how strong it is. Moonshine can be anywhere from 75 to 160 proof, which is really easy to see with a hydrometer or shake test. Difference between Proof and ABV?
How do you know if moonshine is alcohol proof?
When you shake a bottle of moonshine and see smaller bubbles, this indicates a lower proof. In the United States, alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume. So, now that you know how to tell the proof of your moonshine, go out there and share your newfound knowledge with the world.
How do you know if a bottle of moonshine is good?
For example a bottle of 80 proof Moonshine when shaken will have small bubbles that will disappear after several seconds. Where as a bottle of 180 proof Moonshine will have large bubbles that will disappear instantly. You’ll obviously have to practice the Shake test many times before you can accurately predict the Proof of Moonshine.