Tag: Liquor laws

Whiskey, a strong alcoholic drink, is never 100% pure alcohol, and by law, must be diluted to a specific bottling strength. While it contains a high concentration of ethanol, the final product is a complex mixture of alcohol, water, and flavor compounds derived from its aging process.

In the United States, an alcoholic beverage must contain no less than 40 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) to be classified as vodka, while the European Union sets its minimum at 37.5% ABV. This means the minimum alcohol content of vodka is not a universal constant, but rather a legally defined standard that differs based on location.

The absolute strongest bottle of alcohol one can legally buy in the United States is typically Polmos Spirytus, a Polish vodka with a staggering 96 percent alcohol by volume (192 proof), edging out Everclear's 190 proof. The availability of these high-proof spirits, however, is heavily restricted by state-specific laws, making the answer to what is the strongest legal alcohol in the US more complex than it first appears.