Skyy
San Francisco, California
Four column distillations and a three-stage filtration built around the brand's original claim of stripping congeners harder than its rivals.
- Filtration
- Triple charcoal
- Distillations
- 4×
- Grains
- wheat
- Congeners
- Very Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Very Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Very Low
- Calories
- 98
- Sugar
- 0g
14g ethanol at 40% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓Four distillations plus triple filtration
- ✓No added sugar in the original
What to watch
- !Wheat base
- !The "fewer congeners" marketing overstates a difference the whole category shares
Factor by factor
Congeners Very Low ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Very Low ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Very Low ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Very Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Very Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Very Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Very Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Skyy launched on an explicitly hangover-flavoured pitch: distil more, filter more, leave fewer congeners behind. The process is real, and the claim is the kind this site exists to put in proportion. Every unflavoured vodka here is already at the bottom of the congener scale, so removing more of almost nothing does not produce a measurably different morning.
Where the effort does show is neutrality of flavour. This is a very blank spirit, which is the point of the category.
Skyy questions
How many calories are in a shot of Skyy? ▾
About 98 calories in a 1.5oz shot at 40% ABV. All of them come from the alcohol, since there is no sugar.
Does Skyy have sugar? ▾
No. Skyy has 0g of sugar per 1.5oz serving.
Is Skyy gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Skyy is distilled from wheat, so US rules bar it from claiming gluten-free. Distillation does remove the gluten protein, and the Celiac Disease Foundation considers distilled spirits safe for most coeliacs. If you would rather avoid the question, pick a spirit distilled from corn, potato, grape or agave.
What is Skyy made from? ▾
Skyy is made from wheat, distilled 4 times and filtered through triple charcoal.
What proof is Skyy? ▾
Skyy is 80 proof, which is 40% alcohol by volume.
Does Skyy give you a bad hangover? ▾
Skyy scores 2/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 2/10 for vodka overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.
Is Skyy vegan? ▾
Yes. Skyy is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.