Updated April 2026.
Fat-washing is a bar technique, not a TTB class of whiskey. Melted fat — bacon, butter, coconut — is stirred into whiskey, chilled until the fat solidifies, then strained. The spirit keeps aroma from the fat. The whiskey type on the label does not change. A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is still one NIAAA drink.
Related: flavored bourbon, blended whiskey, whiskey drinks.
Technique vs class
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| Fat-wash | Scale the whiskey ABV |
| Straight bourbon / rye | 1.00 at 40% |
| Flavored / specialty | From labeled ABV |
| 750 mL at 40% | — |
Four 1.5-ounce pours are four drinks at 40%. The fat does not remove ethanol. Pour math: whiskey drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.143 whiskey types; straight types bar added coloring or flavoring. Fat-wash is bartender English.
- NIAAA December 2025 standard drink.
- 27 CFR 5.143 — no added flavor if labeled straight
- ~17 NIAAA drinks