# Any alcohol-free hard liquor out there? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660 "2008-08-03T02:31:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/1 "2008-08-03T02:31:28Z")
We’ve got NA beer, along with de-alcoholized wine and champagne. So where’s my No Alcohol single malt scotch? I want my NAphroaig! My NAbsolut! Could it be made? Is it? If not, think there’s a market for it? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/2 "2008-08-03T02:44:12Z")
I don’t think it can be done. With beer, you need only to remove 5% or so of the ‘stuff’ that makes it up; with wine, maybe 15%. And with beer and champagne, you’ve got the carbonation to give much of the mouth feel. With liquor, 40% or more is alcohol…if you remove that you have to replace it with _something_…so what would it be? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/3 "2008-08-03T02:45:35Z")
[QUOTE=Suburban Plankton] With liquor, 40% or more is alcohol…if you remove that you have to replace it with _something_…so what would it be? [/QUOTE] What would it be? That’s what I want to know! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/4 "2008-08-03T02:50:52Z")
Corn? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/5 "2008-08-03T02:53:17Z")
Ick. The very thought… ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/6 "2008-08-03T02:55:54Z")
[Claytons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytons) ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/7 "2008-08-03T02:56:32Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] What would it be? That’s what I want to know! 😉 [/QUOTE] Hate. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/8 "2008-08-03T03:01:36Z")
[QUOTE=TheLoadedDog] [Claytons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytons) [/QUOTE] Interesting. Thanks for that link. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Batman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@The\_Batman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Batman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/9 "2008-08-03T03:03:05Z")
Why would anybody drink that? It would just be some type of crappy juice. I understand the idea behind non-alcoholic beer, beer does have a good taste. But, spirits barely have any noticeable taste, you drink it to get drunk quickly not to savor it. And have you any idea what would be the result? Vodka: potato water. Rum: sugar water. Mezcal: salvia, water and a worm. Sake: rice water. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/10 "2008-08-03T03:08:25Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Interesting. Thanks for that link. [/QUOTE] Don’t be too interested - because it doesn’t taste that great. That is to say, it doesn’t come as close to the taste of whisky as the advertising suggests. It’s essentially a cordial for grown-ups. You have it with a mixer, so you might order a “Claytons and dry”. I couldn’t imagine trying it neat. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/11 "2008-08-03T03:09:47Z")
[QUOTE=Suburban Plankton] With liquor, 40% or more is alcohol…if you remove that you have to replace it with _something_…so what would it be? [/QUOTE] Synthehol? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/12 "2008-08-03T03:11:14Z")
[QUOTE=Tijuana\_Golds] Why would anybody drink that? It would just be some type of crappy juice. [/QUOTE] In general, they don’t. I don’t think I’ve heard somebody ask for one in twenty years. I’ll have to check next time I’m at the pub to see if it’s even on the shelf. For mine, I don’t like ersatz _anything_. I’ll order a REAL beer. If I don’t want alcohol, I’ll order a REAL lemonade. If I don’t want sugar, then maybe I’ll have a glass of water. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/13 "2008-08-03T03:12:43Z")
I don’t think it would be advisable. There have been cases where as little as two inches of dealcoholized vodka have cause severe neural damage due to oxygen deprivation to the brain. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/14 "2008-08-03T03:13:22Z")
I suppose I can see, kinda, maybe, the point of alcohol free scotch. Perhaps rum as well. But I don’t see any way to achieve those tastes without alcohol. And vodka? It doesn’t taste like _anything_! And tequila? Well, it doesn’t taste like anything _good_. Meh, if I’m not in it for the booze, I might as well have some water. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/15 "2008-08-03T03:14:43Z")
Hey… I got NA Generic vodka for you… its essentially distilled water, with some trace impurities I scraped out of the bottom of my fridge… if I tell you that its magnetic shaman water can I charge you $60 a quart? fml ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/16 "2008-08-03T05:35:02Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG] And tequila? Well, it doesn’t taste like anything _good_. [/QUOTE] Spring for some decent tequila. You’d be surprised. (It’s probably just as well that there’s no NA beverage that tastes like fine tequila. I don’t think I’d ever drink anything else.) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/17 "2008-08-03T08:35:14Z")
Not that I know of, but there’s a way to enjoy the effects of Everclear without actually drinking it. Just smash your head into the wall a few times, and then spin around in circles for about 15 minutes without stopping. Then just lay back and enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/18 "2008-08-03T10:16:47Z")
[QUOTE=Tijuana\_Golds] But, spirits barely have any noticeable taste, you drink it to get drunk quickly not to savor it. [/QUOTE] Good Scotch has a great taste and many people drink spirits without intending to get drunk. I think it’s perfectly reasonable that someone may enjoy the taste without wanting the alcohol. I’m not saying I would buy it just as I don’t go for NA beer but I can see why it would interest some. My question is, how much does the alcohol contribute to the taste of a good scotch or other spirits? **Qadgop the Mercotan** , do you think a _lower_ percentage of alcohol would be acceptable such as 10-15% compared to the usual 40%, if that’s what would be required to preserve the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/19 "2008-08-03T11:17:32Z")
I gave up six years of sobriety when I tried NA beer. I can’t afford to try NA booze. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660/20 "2008-08-03T15:21:49Z")
I have seen alcohol-free Curaçao but it seemed more like fancy food coloring for non-alcoholic beverages than something you would seriously drink on its own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-alcohol-free-hard-liquor-out-there/458660.md?page=2)