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How to use an alcohol meter

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a spirit meter and a trial jar, and you want a number that means percent alcohol by volume rather than a confident mistake. How to use an alcohol meter comes down to three conditions: a low-sugar spirit, a clean float, and a sample near the temperature printed for that instrument. Dilution targets sit on the [alcohol meter for spirits](/hub/measuring-equipment/alcohol-meter/sub/alcohol-meter-for-spirits) page. The [alcohol meter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/alcohol-meter) lists the Thermometer World stem for this job, at £14.95 with a 100 ml jar. The Products Compared editorial team checked that listing on 20 October 2026 and did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase through an amazon.co.uk link can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a spirit meter and a trial jar, and you want a number that means percent alcohol by volume rather than a confident mistake.

Our top picks

Thermometer World Thermometer World 0–100% spirit meter

Best overall

Thermometer World Thermometer World 0–100% spirit meter
9.2/10about £14.95
View offer
QWORK QWORK 0–80% alcohol refractometer

Alternative

QWORK QWORK 0–80% alcohol refractometer
8.2/10about £14.99
View offer
ACKKOR ACKKOR glass vinometer 0–25%

Best value

ACKKOR ACKKOR glass vinometer 0–25%
7.4/10about £5.59
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Set the sample up
  2. 2.Take the reading
  3. 3.Temperature
  4. 4.When the number is not a strength

Set the sample up

Start with a spirit that is still water and ethanol, or very close to it. The Thermometer World listing says 0–100 vol % at about 20°C for a mix with little or no sugar. If you have already added syrup, fruit, or a wine kit, stop. The stem will still show a mark, and that mark will not be the strength you think it is. Wash the jar and the stem and let them drain. Stevenson Reeves, a UK hydrometer maker, says dirt and bubbles on the glass hold the float off its true level. If liquid has got inside the glass, the meter is finished. UK reviews on this listing include broken glass, so look for a crack or a wet paper scale. Fill the 100 ml trial jar so the stem can float clear of the bottom. A still-maker's 5 cm gap belongs to their jar, not to this short tube.

Take the reading

Spin the stem gently so bubbles do not cling to the shoulder, then let go. The stem must not touch the wall or the bottom. Stevenson Reeves says not to read at all if the stem is touching the glass, because the wall holds it up. Read where the flat surface of the liquid meets the scale, not where the curved film climbs the glass. OIML R 44 graduates alcoholometers for the free horizontal surface at 20°C. If the paper in your box names a line, follow the box. Take the temperature with the mark. A shift of more than 1°C means the sample is not stable, so wait and read again. Write the percent and the temperature together.
Thermometer World Thermometer World 0–100% spirit meter

Testsieger

Thermometer World Thermometer World 0–100% spirit meter
9.2/10about £14.95
View offer

Temperature

The Thermometer World listing is referenced at about 20°C, the same reference OIML R 44 uses. A sample still warm from a demijohn sits off the mark for a reason that has nothing to do with how much water you added. This page will not give you a percent-per-degree table. HM Revenue and Customs takes density for approved densimeters at 20°C and does not convert a reading from another temperature. Do not copy a wine hydrometer's Fahrenheit notes onto this alcoholometer. If you cannot get the sample near 20°C, write the temperature beside the number and treat it as a rough comparison. When the figure is for a label, duty, or sale, the kitchen stem is the wrong instrument.

When the number is not a strength

Sugar, fizz, and a ferment cancel the scale even when the stem looks steady. UK reviews say this meter is not for sugar-based wine or beer, and that a wine sample may not float. If the stem sits on the bottom of the 100 ml jar, you have not measured 0%. The liquid is denser than the bottom of the scale. A cracked stem, liquid inside the glass, or two meters that disagree are reasons to discard the number. The alcohol meter buying guide shows which listing is actually a spirit stem. Stop when the sample is sugary, fizzy, or still fermenting, or when you need the figure for duty. Sweet liquids on the QWORK listing already read as alcohol.

Common questions

Does the sample need to be at 20°C?
The Thermometer World listing is referenced at about 20°C, so the spirit, the jar, and the meter should be near that and near each other. A cool kitchen is a different problem from a warm demijohn. Stevenson Reeves treats a swing of more than 1°C during the reading as an unstable sample. This page does not convert a warm reading into a 20°C result.
How full should the trial jar be?
The jar in this set is the 100 ml tube with the Thermometer World meter. Fill it so the stem floats clear of the bottom and the wall, with a surface you can see. A still-maker’s 5 cm below the rim line is for their jar, not a fill level for this short tube. If the stem hits the base, you do not have a reading.
Can I correct a warm reading with a rule of thumb?
No. Do not add or subtract a percent per degree and call the result alcohol by volume. HM Revenue and Customs does not convert a duty densimeter reading from another temperature. If the sample is warm, cool it and read again, or write the temperature beside a rough comparison and stop there.
What if two meters disagree on the same bottle?
If both stems are intact, clean, and free of the wall, and they still disagree at the same temperature, do not average them onto a label. Reviews on this listing already include meters that do not match. Check for liquid inside the glass and for a crack. If the marks still differ, treat both numbers as unusable beyond a private note.
When should I stop and accept the liquid is the wrong sample?
Stop when the liquid is sugary, fizzy, or still fermenting, when a wine sample sinks, or when you need a figure for a label or for duty. UK reviews say this spirit meter is not for sugar-based wine or beer. A sunk stem is not 0% alcohol. Use the spirits page only if you still have unsweetened distillate to dilute.

Related pages

Alcohol meter vs hydrometer

Alcohol meter

Best alcohol meter for a low-sugar distilled spirit

Alcohol meter buying guide: match the liquid first

Alcohol meter for spirits: water first, then flavour

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for these five listings. The price band is this set, not a market average. The gravity formula is a rule of thumb, not a tested accuracy.

  1. HMRC: alcoholic strength, section 11 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. SI 2023/806 Schedule 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Laboratory Alcohol Table (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: alcoholic products producer approval (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Finance (No. 2) Act 2023, section 84 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. OIML R 44 (1985): alcoholometers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Alcoholometers Regulations 1977 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Homebrew hydrometer scales (retrieved 22 October 2026)