Can different types of alcoholic beverages cause more severe hangovers?
Yes. Complex organic molecules such as methanol and acetone are found in some drinks and are said to be responsible for hangovers rather than ethanol(alcohol). This view is by researcher Dr Ian Calder of the London based National Hospital for Neurosurgery. Brandy is worst for hangovers then in descending order are: red wine, rum, whiskey, white wine, gin and vodka. The British Medical Journal did tests that showed drinking bourbon whiskey is twice as likely to cause a hangover than the same amount of vodka. Cheap spirits (especially cheap whiskey) and champagnes are among the worst offenders (BBC News, Hangovers: The number one festive illness, BBC1 24 Dec, 1998. Interview with Dr James Schaefer, a research professor at the department of anthropology at Union College in Schenectady, New York). Clear liquors such as gin, vodka, and rum cause hangovers less often, having usually been distilled three or four times, which may help explain why they are abused to a greater extent by chronic
