In a new study to be released in March 2010, Damaris J. Rohsenow (associate director of the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University in Providence, R.I.) and her colleagues have found that darker liquors like bourbon contain more toxic properties that provoke more painful hangovers than lighter choices such as vodka. This is probably because the materials used in the alcohol fermenting process — grains and wood casks — produce small amounts of toxic byproducts. These include, acetone, fusel oil and tannins, and are present in much higher quantities among darker liquors than lighter ones. Bourbon has 37 times as many toxic byproducts as vodka which is clear.
The point is, if someone drinks until they are impaired (drunk), “they are going to feel sicker after drinking an alcohol — such as bourbon — which is among the darker liquors, and therefore has a lot more naturally toxic poisons in it,” Rohsenow added. “Of course, they’ll still get hungover just from vodka or white wine. But it will just be a little less painful than if they drink a darker liquor.”
