Updated May 2026.
A 1.5-ounce shot of 80-proof Scotch is about 97 calories, and those calories are almost all ethanol. USDA FoodData Central treats 80-proof distilled spirits — gin, rum, vodka, whiskey — as one line: 231 kcal per 100 g, 0 g carbohydrate, 0 g sugar. A 1.5-ounce jigger is about 42 g, which is ~97 kcal. NIAAA’s 14 grams of alcohol at 7 kcal/g is 98 kcal. Brand is not a calorie loophole.
Cask-strength malt at 60% ABV is 1.5 standard drinks in the same 1.5 ounces and about 145 calories from ethanol. Honeyed or liqueur “Scotch” drinks are a different class. Read the proof. This is not a weight-loss plan.
Calories vs proof (1.5 oz pour)
| Pour | ABV | Std drinks | Approx. kcal | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80-proof blended Scotch (most supermarket bottles) | 40% | 1.00 | ~97 | 0 g (USDA 80-proof spirits) |
| 86–90 proof | 43–45% | ~1.08–1.13 | ~105–110 | 0 g if unflavored |
| 100 proof | 50% | 1.25 | ~120–125 | 0 g if unflavored |
| Cask-strength example 120 proof | 60% | 1.50 | ~145 | 0 g if unflavored |
| Scotch & cola (1.5 oz 80-proof + 8 oz cola) | — | 1.00 from the whiskey | ~97 + ~90–100 cola | from the soda |
Scotch whisky sold for the US must meet the UK definition and TTB’s “Scotch whisky” type (27 CFR 5.143). The legal minimum bottling strength in the UK is 40% ABV. Calories still scale with the number on the label, not with Islay vs Speyside. A peated malt is not “lighter.” See bourbon calories for the same 97-kcal USDA line.
Why Scotch is “zero sugar” and still not diet food
Distillation leaves ethanol and water. Fermentable malt sugar does not survive as carbohydrate in unflavored whisky. Some Scotch may use spirit caramel (E150a) for color; that is not a dessert-spoon of sugar and is not a USDA 97-kcal exception we will invent a number for. Flavored whisky and whisky liqueurs (honey, cinnamon) add sugar the USDA 80-proof line does not include.
A 750 mL bottle of 80-proof Scotch is about 17 standard drinks and about 1,650 kcal if you finished it — inventory, not a plan. See shots in a 750ml bottle. Four 97-kcal pours are four drinks. NIAAA’s binge pattern for women is four drinks in about two hours.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central: Alcoholic beverage, distilled, all 80 proof — 231 kcal/100 g; 0 g carb / 0 g sugar; ~97 kcal per 1.5 fl oz.
- NIAAA: 14 g alcohol per standard drink; ethanol ~7 kcal/g.
- TTB 27 CFR 5.143: Scotch whisky is a distinctive product of Scotland. UK bottling minimum 40% ABV.