Just how much Octane was in the Whiskey on CopperHead Road

Whiskey have enough octane to run an engine?

Octane wouldn’t be the problem. At 85 proof and lower there’s more water in the hooch than alcohol.

Yup!
100 proof liquor contains 50% water by volume.

Octane is not what causes combustion. Octane is actually a measure the reverse of how volatile a fuel is. The higher the octane, the less volatile it is. It is not related to the fuel’s energy content.

Pure alcohol is 200 proof. Everclear, a commercially available alcohol, is 190 proof, 95% pure.

Plenty of octane—alcohol is often used as an octane booster in gasoline. Higher octane=slower burn and less volatile. (harder to ignite) As others mentioned, too much water most likely unless it’s nearly pure alcohol.

It’s actually possible to put high-octane aviation gas in a car and have it not start or be very difficult to start due to the high octane.

But there is some excellent white lightning from west Alabama that I have driven a few miles to get. Its octane seems quite good. I gave away several quarts at Christmas and it seemed to be highly appreciated. Around here we’re not sticklers for details like tax stamps if the product is good and some of the old bootleggers crank out a few hundred gallons just for their old regular customers at Christmas.

Thats a Beautiful thing

Ah, Everclear. Everpresent at college parties for spiking watermelon and making jello shots.

That leaves the question: could Everclear run a flex fuel engine?

There is no octane in whiskey. Octane is a hydrocarbon, just as butane and propane are.

Then what would be different about 2-stroke engines. You say it would be difficult to start a car with aviation fuel …we used to run aviation fuel in our chainsaws and it improved performance. This was at timberline or about 11,500ft

Why would you want to waste good whiskey by putting it in an engine?
Why would you want to ruin a good engine by putting bad whiskey in it?

Perhaps. It’s a grain alcohol, as is ethanol. The real question is could you AFFORD all the everclear? And would the car form a magnetic attraction to college students?

Octane is not a substance, it’s a measurement. See the link in my post above.

Possibly, but at $65 per gallon, why would you want to?

$65 a gallon…WOW…

When I was a poor college student…alcohol of choice was MD 20/20…or any beer you could buy for under $3/case.

That is “octane rating”, which is different than just “octane”. Not to split hairs, but asking what something’s octane rating is is different than asking if it has octane in it. The octane rating is basically a comparison of how something behaves in comparison to actual octane (and hexane). Just sayin’.

I’ll give you that. But it complicates the answer to the question Peacefrog asked. Unless I’m missing my guess, his question was predicated on the belief that it was “octane” in gasoline that caused combustion. My understanding of his question was that he believed that without octane whiskey wouldn’t burn. In the context of his question, I believe he was alluding to octane rating rather than the chemical compound.

“MD 20/20…”

I didn’t know that you kept Kosher.

Probably the lower volatility of it at the lower atmospheric pressure at 11,000’ helped. At sea level it might not work so well. (but I’m guessing)

MD 20/20 is 15% to 20% alcohol by volume, depending on flavor. Not in the same class as Everclear. It takes a lot of effort to get to 95% alcohol, so says my moonshine-making buddy.