Is calvados good for you?

Calvados is not good for your health. It is a spirit of at least 40% alcohol, and health bodies say no level of alcohol is safe. A 25 ml measure is 1 UK unit, and the NHS advises not regularly drinking more than 14 units a week. In the EU and UK, alcoholic drinks cannot carry health claims.

Updated 2026-10-03

What health bodies say

WHO/Europe: "No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health." [1]
WHO fact sheet: alcohol is "a psychoactive and toxic substance" and "an established carcinogen". [2]
NHS: adults are advised not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis, and regularly drinking more than that "risks damaging your health". [3] [4]

How strong is calvados in units?

Calvados must be at least 40% ABV, and some cask-strength bottlings go up to 55%. [5] At 40%, a 25 ml measure is 1 unit and a 35 ml measure 1.4 units. [3] A cask-strength calvados has more units in the same glass: 25 ml at 55% is about 1.4 units (55 × 25 ÷ 1,000). [3] For cider, see how many units are in cider.

What is in calvados besides alcohol?

Calvados is distilled from cider, so it keeps the aromas of apples and pears but not the nutrients of fresh fruit. Nearly all its calories come from alcohol: about 97 kcal in a 42 g measure of 40% spirit. [6] See calories in calvados.

Labels in the EU and UK do not make health claims for calvados because Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 says drinks with more than 1.2% alcohol "shall not bear health claims". [7] [8] The same applies to cider; see is cider good for you. For alcohol and driving, see cider and drink driving.

Related answers: is cider good for you · how many units are in cider

Related on Cider Radar

Guide: how strong is cider? · Glossary: calvados

Cider, perry, calvados and pommeau are alcoholic drinks. Enjoy responsibly and follow the legal drinking age where you live.

We don't give health advice. For questions about your health, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

Questions

Does calvados help digestion?

There is no authorised health claim for it. The trou normand, a glass of calvados mid-meal, is a tradition rather than a health benefit, and drinks over 1.2% alcohol cannot carry health claims in the EU and UK. [5] [7] [8] See what a trou normand is.

How many units are in a glass of calvados?

A 25 ml measure of 40% spirit is 1 unit, and a 35 ml measure is 1.4 units. You can work out any drink as ABV × volume in ml ÷ 1,000. [3]