Is Culinary Solvent the same as Everclear?

Culinary Solvent and Everclear are each food grade ethyl alcohol products that share many similarities while simultaneously differing in important ways.  Both products are pure ethanol, nondenatured and safe for human consumption.  Is one product better than the other?  That answer depends on your use, and is for you to decide.

This page intends to set the record straight on the similarities and differences between Everclear 190 and Culinary Solvent.  After a brief introduction of each product, I hope to provide examples of how they are similar, followed by examples of what makes each unique. Post comments below, tweet me @CulinarySolvent or use the contact form to share your thoughts.  -Scott (AKA Mr.Tincture), Owner, Founder, and Distiller of Culinary Solvent.

 

What is Everclear?

 

Everclear is a brand of ethanol for beverage use. Everclear is non-denatured mixture of ethyl alcohol (ethanol, grain alcohol) product derived from 100% corn.  Everclear 190 proof is designed and sold in some states for use as a beverage.  Everclear is available in two different strengths including the popular 190 proof (95% ABV) as well as 151 proof (75.5% ABV).  Everclear is manufactured in the USA by Luxco, Inc.  The word "Everclear" is a trademark of Luxco, Inc, and is not related to Culinary Solvent in any way, shape, or form.  Everclear is available for sale from brick-and-mortar retail stores in glass bottle sizes ranging from 500 ml to 1.75 L.  For more information about where to buy Everclear 190 proof, visit the Luxco company website at www.luxco.com.  Everclear Bottle Image Credit: Bevmo.com. 

 

What is Culinary Solvent?

 

Culinary Solvent is a brand name, non-denatured, ethyl alcohol (ethanol, grain alcohol) product derived from 100% corn.  Culinary Solvent is available in 190 proof (95% ABV) and 200 proof (100% ABV) varieties. Culinary Solvent is available made from 100% certified organic non-GMO corn.  Culinary Solvent is distilled in Brewer, Maine, USA by The Northern Maine Distilling Company, operated by the founders (a husband and wife team who started the distillery in 2006).  Culinary Solvent is available for sale from CulinarySolvent.com, shipped in leak proof bottles ranging in size from Pints, Quarts, Gallons, 5 gallon jugs, and 55 gallon drums.  If this sounds like the right product for you, Buy Culinary Solvent online now, else please continue reading.

Explore Culinary Solvent 200 proof ethanol products for sale by use:

 

 

Everclear vs Culinary Solvent:

Both Culinary Solvent and Everclear are pure food grade ethanol products which contain no additives making them safe for human consumption.  Both Culinary Solvent and Everclear 190 are nondenatured ethanol, meaning neither contains additives that prevent the safe consumption by humans.   There are important similarities between Everclear and Culinary Solvent.  There are equally, if not more, differences as well.  

Similarities between Everclear and Culinary Solvent.

• Both, Culinary Solvent and Everclear, are brands of pure food grade ethyl alcohol products.
• Both, Culinary Solvent and Everclear, are non-denatured, contain zero additives, and are safe for human consumption.
• Both, Culinary Solvent and Everclear, are distilled in the USA from 100% corn.

Differences: Everclear vs Culinary Solvent

How they are distilled: Pot Still vs Industrial Column Still.  

• Culinary Solvent is distilled using a pot still.  The design of a pot still's fixed batch size and controlled operation result in a final distillate of unmatched quality because the distiller is in full control over the collected distillate.  Full control means isolating the heads and tails of the distillation run, while keeping the inner most pure "hearts" of the run.  Isolating just the pure hearts of a distillation translates into a pure refined ethanol product that is supremely neutral in aroma and flavor profile.
• Everclear 190 proof alcohol is distilled using an industrial scale reflux column still.  These factory-sized pieces of equipment are the same technology used to separate gasoline from crude oil, and offer cost effective methods of distilling ethanol on a massive scale.  Due to the design of industrial column stills, large output volumes come at a tradeoff of when it comes to the "resolution" of isolation that can occur.

Takeaway: While both a pot still and column still work to distill ethanol, only small scale pot stills with fixed batches from start to finish are capable of refining the collected ethanol into a supremely neutral character profile.  Culinary Solvent is the only food grade ethanol that is distilled using a pot still. 

Alcohol Strength: 190 proof vs 200 proof.

• Culinary Solvent is available in 190 proof (95% ABV) and 200 proof (100% ABV) options. 
• Everclear is available in 190 proof (95% ABV) and 151 proof (75.5% ABV) options, depending on where you live.

Takeaway: When it comes to ABV, Culinary Solvent can't be beat.  Anyone can add water to their ethanol to dilute to a different (lower) ABV, but only distilleries with the right equipment can increase the ABV of their liquid. Starting with 100% alcohol makes the dilution math easy to get to any desired ABV, including 95%.  View our recipe page on how to dilute 200 proof ethanol down to popular concentrations for making tincture, vanilla extract, disinfectant spray, hand sanitizer, and more.

Bottle Size Options and Bulk Volume Discounts  

• Culinary Solvent is available in pints (16 fl. oz.), quarts (32 fl.oz.), gallons, 5 gallon jugs and 55 gallon drums.  Bulk sizes available in drums or multiples of 5 gallon jugs. 
• Everclear is available in 50ML, 200ML, 500ML, 750ML, 1L, and 1.75L sizes.  Everclear is not offered in sizes larger than 1.75L at this time.  Bulk volume discounts are rarely offered and availability will depend on the state rules or promotions currently active where you are purchasing Everclear.

Takeaway:  For small projects requiring 1 gallon or less, both Culinary Solvent and Everclear offer bottle sizes that can meet your needs.  If your project requires more than a couple gallons of food grade ethanol, Culinary Solvent offers multiple options for packaging and bulk discounts as order volume increases.

Certified Organic Recipe and Process

• Culinary Solvent is available distilled from certified organic corn.  Culinary Solvent is USDA certified organic by Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association.  Use our contact form to obtain a copy of our current organic certificate.
• Everclear is not offered in a certified organic variety at this time.

Takeaway: When ingredients and organic processes matter to your project or creation, choose Culinary Solvent organic food grade ethanol.  

More reasons to choose Culinary Solvent for your next project.

• Availability and buying direct: Culinary Solvent ships to most residential and business addresses in the lower 48 states, often without a permit.  Even if your state currently prohibits the sale of Everclear (California, Ohio, Maine, or Florida) on the local store shelf, Culinary Solvent's non-beverage alcohol status means we can still ship to you direct.  Visit our helpful list of "US State Alcohol Rules - Can we ship to your state?" to learn more about if your state laws permit the shipment of Culinary Solvent to your home or business address, visit our helpful list of States with links to more information on each.

• Convenience: Go to them, or come to you?: No more visiting liquor stores searching for handles of Everclear, Culinary Solvent is ordered securely online using our 24/7 online store and shipped fast via FedEx ground to your direct from the distillery.  If you will not be home at the time of delivery, customers may choose to have their Culinary Solvent order held at a nearby FedEx location for pickup at at time that is convenient for their busy schedule.  Most all orders placed on the CulinarySolvent.com secure online store ship the same day, or the following day.  

• Choosing "The Right Tool for the Job":  No more trade offs on ABV or alcohol strength.  Culinary Solvent's ABV options and choice of organic or non-organic corn provide customers of every scale and project type the ability to choose the right food safe ethanol for the task at hand. 

• Choosing a Professional Supply Experience:  Tired of explaining to your accountant that the liquor store receipts are a legit "business expense" for your operation? Ditch the box of scrap-paper register receipts and annual year-end explanation, for a more professional experience with Culinary Solvent.  Expense tracking for business customers is made easy with descriptive receipts that are emailed to you directly by a reputable company.

• The People That Make It:  If you need assistance buying Everclear, good luck getting help from the part-time liquor store clerk....what are the chances you've even ever heard of Everclear's parent company Luxco?  Culinary Solvent is owned, operated, and distributed internally by a passionate team of engineers, distillers and overall ethanol experts.  The people that make Culinary Solvent are the ultimate guarantors of quality of your food grade alcohol, and are available to assist or contact when you need them. 

Where to buy Everclear 190 Proof?

As of 2022, we are not aware of any online retailers who will fulfill an order for Everclear 190 proof shipped to an address outside of the state where the online retailer is located.  At this time, customers interested in purchasing the ethanol product branded as "Everclear" must visit a brick and mortar retail establishment located within a state that has authorized the listing and sale of the product.

If my state doesn't allow Everclear, can I still order Culinary Solvent?

Often, the answer is "Yes".  While this depends on the individual state laws, checkout our map here, non-beverage nondenatured ethanol is still available (legal and permitted) for purchase and import.  We have read all 50 state's alcohol rules and have built a database offering complete details on each state's specific rules and regulations.  

Can I buy Culinary Solvent in California?

Yes. We ship to California, Maine, Florida, Ohio, and more. All orders are delivered to business or residential addresses via FedEx ground. Check out the map of states we ship to.

Where to buy Culinary Solvent.

Ordering pure ethyl alcohol online line is quick, convenient, and secure.  All orders ship direct from the distillery in Northern Maine.  Average order process time 1 day, delivery and tracking provided via FedEx Ground or UPS.   View our tips for successful order delivery.

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Related Questions:

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