Updated August 2026.
Sherry is a fortified wine. Brandy is a distilled spirit. US brandy is a US type.145, usually bottled at 40% or more. Sherry is a wine class, not a brandy type — even when a sherry cask finishes whiskey. Typical US brandy prints 40%. Table and fortified wines sit far lower. A 1.5-ounce brandy pour at 40% is one NIAAA drink; a 5-ounce wine pour scales to the labeled ABV.
Related: brandy taste, cognac vs brandy, wine taste.
Class vs pour
| Language | Drinks |
|---|---|
| Brandy | 1.00 / 1.5 oz at 40% |
| Sherry | Scale 5 oz wine |
| Sherry cask | — |
| Typical US brandy | 1.00 |
A 750 mL 40% brandy is about 17 drinks. Do not count sherry as brandy shots. Pour math: brandy drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.145 brandy. Sherry is wine, not a brandy type.
- NIAAA December 2025. Typical US brandy 40%.
- 27 CFR 5.145 spirit
- is 27 CFR 5