alcoholic drinks scaled

What Types of Alcoholic Drinks Are Gluten Free?

Are alcoholic drinks gluten free? Do beer, wine, mixed drinks or spirits contain gluten? The answer is yes… and no.

For the uninitiated, alcohol seems to be a grey area when it comes to knowing if it contains gluten or not. For beer, most people know it’s made from barley and is off-limits. However, there are now many varieties available on the market that are made using gluten-free grains – so beer is not necessarily off-limits anymore, you just have to do some research to determine which ones are safe.

But let’s examine the rest of the alcoholic beverages to help you make more informed decisions at the liquor store.

Wine

Wine made from grapes is naturally gluten free. Although, in some manufacturing processes (mainly European wines) there may be a few ways that gluten can be introduced:

  • As a fining agent used to clarify the wine
  • In a wheat paste used to seal the oak barrels for aging

Both of these add a tiny amount of gluten to the finished wine, usually approximately less 10 parts per million (ppm), which is well below the 20ppm threshold for a food to be considered gluten-free (and where most people are symptom-free).

Almost all wines manufactured in the US do not use these (gluten-containing) methods, so you can be more confident in enjoying your glass of wine.

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Fortified wines like marsala, vermouth, port, and sherry are distilled from wine and are gluten free. However a few varieties may have added colorings or flavorings which could contain gluten, so watch for those.  Any time you see added colorings or flavorings ask more questions!

Rice wine and sake are both made from fermented rice. However, some brands do add malt (gluten) to their mixtures, so be sure to check the label.

Spirits

Any distilled alcoholic beverage, including vodka, gin, whiskey, bourbon, rum, brandy, and tequila are considered gluten free. Although its source may initially contain gluten, the distilling process involved in its production removes the gluten in the end product, making it suitable for celiacs to consume. The US Food & Drug Administration recently ruled gluten levels of 20 parts per million (ppm) can now be classified as gluten-free.  After extensive testing, this is the level that has been determined that gluten sensitive people should not be symptomatic or cause harm to their body.

Distillation
A simple setup showing the distillation process

Distilling, in its basic terms, is the process of heating a liquid, where the steam produced travels through a coiled apparatus where it is cooled and turned back into a liquid. This liquid or condensation, drips into a collection vessel. Gluten proteins are generally too large and heavy to be evaporated, which is why they cannot end up in the final distilled product.

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However, if you’re still concerned, below is a list of some spirits that are made from gluten free sources like fruits, vegetables, as well as a variety of other gluten free grains.

Vodka

Traditionally it is made from wheat, barley and rye. However there are more and more varieties on the market made from non-grain ingredients like:

  • Blue Ice (potato)
  • Bombora (grape)
  • Boyd & Blair (potato)
  • Cayman Blue (sugar cane)
  • Krome (corn)
  • Smirnoff (corn)

Gin

Gin is made from a combination of grains (barley, corn, rye), which has been infused with juniper berries and spices. For some alternatives, Maine Distilleries’ Cold River Gin is made from potatoes, while G-Vine Gin is made from grapes.

Whiskey

Whiskey is almost always made from barley. However Queen Jennie Whiskey is made entirely from sorghum.

Bourbon is a form of whiskey that is a blend of corn, wheat, barley and rye. I haven’t been able to locate a brand made from a gluten free source, so you may need to do your own research on this one.

Rum & Brandy

Rum is distilled from sugar cane, and brandy is distilled from wine, both are gluten free. Flavored varieties may be an exception to the rule, so be sure to check with the manufacturer if you are unsure.

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Tequila

If the bottle is marked with “100% agave”, it is made entirely from the blue agave plant, and is gluten-free. If that is not identified on the label, it is called ‘mixto’ and contains added sugar and potentially gluten (due to cross contamination). So if you are concerned, save yourself the uncertainty and stick with the 100% agave brands.

Liqueur

A liqueur is a spirit (see above) that has been sweetened and flavored, and falls into one of these four categories: Dairy liqueurs (eg. Bailey’s Irish Cream, bean or kernel liqueurs (eg. Amaretto), herb liqueurs (eg. Crème de Menthe) and fruit liqueurs (eg. Grand Marnier). Most should be gluten free, but be sure to check the labels/manufacturers.

Beer

Beer is traditionally made with barley, which is not gluten free. However, with a growing demand, there are now many tasty options available on the market using gluten free grains like sorghum, buckwheat, rice, and millet.

If your local liquor store does not carry any gluten free brands, you can always ask them to order some in. Local micro breweries/bars in your area are also great places to check as well. If that’s not an option, most gluten free beers can be ordered online.

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Here are a few tasty gluten free brews currently on the market:

  • The Alchemist: Celia Saison
  • Greens – Dark Ale
  • Sprecher Brewing Co. – Shakpro Ale
  • Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales – Tweason’ale
  • Harvester Fresh Hop IPA
  • Epic Brewing Company – Glutenator
  • New Planet Gluten Free Beer – Raspberry Ale
  • New Planet, Tread Lightly Ale
  • Lakefront Brewery: New Grist
  • Red Bridge
  • Bard’s
  • Fox Tail Gluten Free Ale
  • Green’s Tripel Blonde Ale

Cider

Cider is made from fruit juice, mainly from apples, and is gluten free, although (as always) some brands may use barley in its production, so you will need to check the labels to be sure. Here are a few gluten free ciders currently on the market:

  • Strongbow Cider
  • Crispin Cider
  • California Cider Company
  • Magners Cider
  • Woodchuck Cider
  • Fox Barrel Cider
  • Ace Pear Cider
  • Rock Creek, Big Rock Brewing Company

Pre-Mixed Cocktails

Mixed drinks can contain barely malt, and are therefore not gluten free, like Bartles & Jaymes and Smirnoff Ice (although Smirnoff Ice made in Canada is gluten free). The majority of wine coolers are gluten free, so you should have a lot of options to choose from.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade is a considered to be a bit controversial as it does contain malt. However, according to their proprietary filtration process (similar to distillation), the gluten is removed leaving less the 5ppm in the finished product (which is well below the US government’s threshold of 20ppm to be classified gluten-free).

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Here are a few gluten free wine coolers and mixed cocktails currently on the market:

  • Arbor Mist Frozen Wine Blenders
  • Boone’s & Boone’s Farm Coolers
  • Bacardi Breezer
  • Smirnoff Ice (Canadian made only)

Knowing which alcoholic beverages contain gluten is getting easier. In August 2013, the US FDA passed a law for foods containing gluten, stating that products must contain 20 ppm or less to be labelled gluten free, and therefore safe for celiacs to consume. However, the FDA does not monitor alcoholic beverages, which falls under the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). The TTB’s current labeling regulation (TTB Ruling May 24, 2012) has rules regarding manufactures who want to identify their products as gluten free, however there is no mandatory requirement to identify gluten containing ingredients or processes. The TTB does follow the FDA’s recommendations, so you may soon see mandatory labeling for alcoholic beverage in the US.

Although in Canada as of February 2011, any alcoholic beverages containing added allergens, gluten sources or sulphites at level of 10 ppm or more, must be identified on the label (exceptions to this are beer and all malt beverages).

With the popularity of gluten free diets and a greater awareness of gluten allergies, many companies that produce naturally gluten free products, are voluntarily labeling their products as such to help consumers make an easier choice at the liquor store.

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Please note: Brands listed as gluten free in this article are current as of date of publication. [sep 6 2013]

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16 Comments

  1. Hard alcohol has no carbs/sugar (even though it’s made from natural sugars like sugarcane, berries, etc). Those sugars become converted to alcohol during the fermentation and distillation process.

  2. I would like to print out this list, but I don’t want all the extra words
    Is there some way to print just the list of products
    thank you
    Jeanette

  3. All distilled alcoholic beverages using gluten-based grains fall within the (US) government limits of 20ppm, which claim to be safe for gluten intolerant people to consume. Although if you are some of the few that are still sensitive at those low levels, then you need to find a non-grain based alcohol. As for specific brands (like Cutty Sark) that you want to confirm if they actually have tested their products, since they could possibly be much lower than 20ppm, your best bet is contact the company directly. Check out their webpage, and send them an email through their contact page. In this case its: http://cutty-sark.com/contact-us/

  4. As Angie mentioned above in her previous reponse, all distilled beverages should be safe to consume. 2 brands, made from non-gluten sources are given in the article (Maine Distilleries’ Cold River Gin & G-Vine Gin). You should contact your local liquor store to see what they can bring in for you.

  5. Ambar Green is gluten free and non-alcoholic. Ask your local beer store if they can bring it in for you.

  6. Marla,
    Thank you so much for taking the time to do these posts. Our family is very new to this idea of celliac’s disease and we are trying to absorb every piece of information that we can.
    Is there a book , maybe that you have written, that you would recommend that has all this information and a list of do’s and don’ts.

    My granddaughter was just diagnosed and we are grateful that her constant stomach pain is now labeled. And even though she understands most of the dialect, she is a teenager and wants to enjoy all aspects of that lifestyle. So the more we know and can pass on, the better she will be.

    Thanks again for all you do.

  7. It is definitely overwhelming at first learning what you can’t eat anymore, and all the places that gluten can ‘hide’ in foods. Foods that you wouldn’t think would contain wheat – like soy sauce! Which is why you’ll be reading food labels every time now. Although the new 2013 labeling laws has made it much easier to identify if a food product contains wheat/gluten, as it must be clearly identified on the label.

    We do have ebooks available, if you look on our home page at the right side all of them are listed. We are just in the process of updating two of the books – Top 101 recipes and Cooking Secrets, so I would wait until the new versions of those are ready.

    I think the biggest thing to help your granddaughter (at least at first) would be to eat the same meals as she has to. That way she doesn’t feel singled out and alone, watching everyone else eat all the things she can’t anymore. And the great news, is that there are tons of great gluten free foods out there. Hopefully you’ll find a few favorites on our website!

  8. We have a new tool you can use to customize the recipes you see on our site. Once you log in, go into the ‘My Account’ tab, then under ‘Do Something’, click on ‘My Preferences’. You can check off boxes for egg free, nut free – or any ingredients (allergens) you don’t want in recipes. Then hit save. Now only recipes that we have identified with those labels will appear. That should help narrow down your recipe choices!

  9. This article is getting enough out-of-date to be minimally helpful. As well, not sure how all the sources were chosen but Bailey’s own company does not say the Irish Cream is GF so it is NOT safe. Most bourbons actually are quite safe while whiskeys mostly are not because of added aspects at the end of the aging process. The beer list is not current – some don’t exist anymore and others on the market are not listed. Vodka – the way it’s listed in the article – is confusing. At the “distilled” paragraph vodka is listed as seemingly safe but further down it’s not. At this point though, that information is out of date as there are more vodkas that are safe – and Tito’s, which is one of the most widely available GF vodka is not on the list at all. It would be quite helpful to go back to this writer to do a revised piece or find another who is willing to do the research to bring more current (and more extensive) information to interested readers.

  10. All the information was very helpful. Appreciate helping those of us with gluten problems to have resources you have provided.?

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