Concerning alcohol content in some liquor bottles?

Question

Im sort of a "regular" drinker of McCormicks Whiskey
(I socially drink a bottle a week with some of my friends)
Anyway, we've noticed over time that some bottles between
4 people will get us all TRASHED
and then we'll drink another the next week and all 4 of us
barely get a buzz off of it?
I was just wondering if anyone else has had that problem with
liquor before.
I swear some bottles are BUNK and the liquor companies don't
care because its not like anyones going to drink a whole bottle
and take it back to the liquor store to complain that it didn't get
anyone drunk at all?
I think sometimes its a rip-off!

I know under certain conditions its possible not to get drunk as much BUT
If youve ever done this trick it'll kinda tell
you how much alcohol was in the bottle
After the last shot is poured.. we usually
tip the bottle upside down and roll it around
a bit.. then we put a lighter to it and watch
the "spirits" inside the bottle
Sometimes when we put the lighter to it..
it acts like a torch somewhat, shooting a
blue flame from the lip of the bottle

And then theres times we cant even get
a flame going.. and usually those are the
nights where no one gets a buzz

Which led me to ask my question in the
first place...

Answer 1

You also have to consider what other factors are affecting whether or not you get "trashed". If on some occasions, you're having food as well as drinking, it's not going to have the same effect. If you all are drinking on an empty stomach, it won't take much to get you trashed.

Just a thought.

Answer 2

hmmmm.....as I may have had similar experiences, I wouldn't say that its the content of alcohol. Those bottles are randomly sampled independently of the company, if they are found to be off by a (even slight) margin from the posted content the company can get fined and shut down.

I would like to think that a reputable company such as McCormicks would have measures in place in order for this not to happen.

Having said that, often your own mood, food you ate together, and other external influences will socially control the entire groups feelings when trying to get sh!tfaced. What I'm trying to say is if you wanna be drunk, and start having fun, it'll happen a hell of a lot easier than splitting a bottle with four friends after someones mother died by stealing your best friends pickup after she ran over your dog...know what I mean?

Answer 3

It depends on a lot of other things too....how much you eat is a big factor in how drunk you get, as well as how fast you drink, if your body is well-rested, etc. I'm sure that alcohol content varies slightly from bottle to bottle, but I don't think you are getting completely different liquor. If you don't get drunk off 1 bottle, just keep drinking until you do. Nobody likes a quitter.

Answer 4

plausible, yet not likely. The alcohol in the liquor might want to save any micro organism at bay. regardless of each little thing, maximum wines/champaignes/liquors are fermented for years - the basically aspect i might want to problem about is likely an off flavor because it really is been uncovered to air which will adjust the flavor . . . booze is an staggering killer of germs and whatnot. i have considered human beings swig off a bottle of booze with someone who had a nasty chilly - no individual were given ill.

Answer 5

ya, you just probably didnt eat as much one week, and ate a lot the next. all of the mcCormicks Whiskey bottles are 80 proof, 40 % by vol. that doesnt change.... also, are you drinking it Faster sometimes, and slower sipping it others? could be the big factor as well.

Answer 6

I would guess it's more to do with the physical state of you and your friends...any regulated industry has quality control and I'm sure that the whiskey companies have to maintain standards. They are heavily regulated by both the FDA and ATF after all.

So, I would guess it's got something to do with how much you all have eaten that evening, how much sleep you've gotten, what other activities you're doing, how hydrated you are, stuff like that...