Nutrl Vodka Seltzer
USA
Vodka, seltzer and natural fruit flavour with no sugar at all. Three ingredients and a zero on the one line that usually separates these products.
- Congeners
- Very Low
- Histamines
- Very Low
- Polyphenols
- Very Low
- Sulfites
- Very Low
- Tannins
- Very Low
- Sugar
- Very Low
- Additives
- Low
- Calories
- 88
- Sugar
- 0g
12.6g ethanol at 4.5% ABV. No sugar, so every calorie here is alcohol.
In its favor
- ✓Zero grams of sugar, the only one here
- ✓Real vodka base rather than a fermented sugar wash
- ✓Gluten-free
What to watch
- !Sold in twelve-packs at a strength nothing paces
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 Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Nutrl is the cleanest thing in this category on paper: vodka, carbonated water, fruit flavouring, no sugar. At 4.5% in a 12oz can that is about 88 calories, and every one of them is ethanol, which is the same statement this site makes about neat vodka.
The distinction worth understanding is base spirit. Nutrl and High Noon are built on distilled vodka. White Claw and Truly are built on a fermented sugar base, which is a brewing process rather than a distilling one. Both routes end up very low on congeners, but the vodka route starts from a spirit that has already been rectified, and it is the reason these two score a point better here.