The alcohol preference ratios and the daily free-choice ethanol intakes (10% ethanol versus water) of the newly constituted National Institutes of Health (NIH) heterogeneous stock (N/Nih) rats, and of the eight inbred strains from which N/Nih derived, were measured. Among the eight inbred strains, ACI/N, WKY/N, F344/N, BUF/N, BN/Ssn, WN/N, M520/N, and MR/N, the ACI exhibited the lowest preference and intakes and the MR and the M520 the highest. The mean values for the N/Nih animals were intermediate among those of the inbred strains. The range of intake for the N/Nih rats was 0.06-9.5 g/kg of body weight/day, indicating that they should serve as an appropriate foundation in selection studies for alcohol-drinking preference.