FDA Rules All Distilled Alcohol is Gluten-Free

On 8/24/2020 at 11:23 AM, trents said:

Distillation is one thing. Fermentation is another.

Yeah, gluten makes it thru fermentation just fine.  Distillation, not so much.

I agree with docaz. And this suggests the need for growth in the gluten-free food/beverage market sector as the percentage of the population confirmed to have real issues with gluten is on the rise. But it will be slow, as it has been, and the products will be more expensive as we know. It also suggests development of effective (and cost effective) antigens that will allow the those with gluten-related health issues to safely consume products with minor amounts of gluten.

This is an older article written by a Ph.D. on distillation that may help skeptics better understand the process:

On 8/26/2020 at 7:09 AM, Guest Renee said:

I definitely get very sick ( GI problems, severe migraine) drinking distilled alcohol made from gluten. 
Before I was even diagnosed with celiac and thus reacted to gluten, I knew I could drink Tanqueray and feel fine but if I drank Bombay I was very sick. Tanqueray is not made from wheat and Bombay is. 
This is terrible news for very sensitive Celiacs! 

Check your facts. From Wikipedia: "Tanqueray is a London dry gin, reflecting its distillation process and origin in Bloomsbury, London. London dry gin is made by double distilling grain, with select botanicals added during the second distillation." I hate to break it to you, but Tanqueray, like nearly all gins, is distilled from grains including wheat.

Ugh, I don't like this. Anybody else have a problem with gluten distilled liquor? I was diagnosed as celiac almost 8 years ago, and every single time I drink alcohol that is distilled from wheat, I get sick, even after a drink or two.

If it makes you sick, it must be from the alcohol, rather than gluten, as it's gluten-free. 

Do you get sick when you drink hard distilled spirits from other sources such as corn or potatoes?

I honestly wish that there could be a simple double blind scientific study done on the claim that distilled alcohols made with gluten cause symptoms in celiacs. It would be an easy study to conduct, but would require funding.

On 8/23/2020 at 6:19 AM, GFinDC said:

Seems pretty clear.  The distillers have to keep records showing they used gluten free ingredients to make the spirits because there is no test to prove distilled spirits are gluten free.

Celiac- spruce lists most distilled beverages alcohol as NOT gluten-free only potato based vodka is safe luckily I don’t drink so idc. Wine is safe if you drink. You can get a free list sent to you or buy a cheap online book of gluten free foods . It’s worth the investment. In general I don’t call medications anymore about their ingredients but I should. Everyone should and sadly they can change formulation at anytime. CHEX was the best company I worked with to get gluten-free choices in cereals on the market. Celiac Sprue has been taking this gluten free labeling to court for 50 yrs with no success. Some people cannot tolerate oats and it’s not listed by them to be gluten-free. I HAVE TRIED EATING OARS BUT SINCE THERES SO MUCH DEVATE I LIMIT OATS.  if you are celiac you reallly need to contact the celiac spru association in the USA , distillers of alcohol only won for money, the FDA doesn’t clear alcohol it just said they won’t get involved same with medications. Since only 1% of population is truly Celiac they just do not care . 

On 8/24/2020 at 1:34 PM, Guest Vars said:

Why would they need to "read a book"? They know what makes them sick, and I don't doubt they are telling the truth because they are correct. You are the one who might need to educate yourself on the varying sensitivities and diseases involving gluten. It's definitely possible that the grains in the whiskey they've drunk have made them sick.

Exactly. I'm both celiac AND very allergic to wheat. One sip of organic 'vanilla flavored' coconut milk that wasn't gluten free put me down for two days. I would love to be able to eat normally again. Most people don't avoid gluten for attention. No one can speak for another's experience. 

I was an alcoholic from 1984 to 2014. If there was alcohol I had to keep drinking til it was gone. If there wasn't any, I had to get some. One week after starting GFD I found that a) I could take a few sips but I no longer had to finish it all; the addiction was gone, and b) I don't like the stuff in the first place.  Messes with my head. Apparently it was the gluten triggering me.

On 8/24/2020 at 1:23 PM, Guest MyBodyIsTheBestGlutenDetec said:

I drink whiskey, I get sick. I drink beer, I might as well eat bread. It's political not health driven. It's not gluten free if it's made from gluten grains. As usual the non sensitive celiac mafia try to make out people are unreasonable or crazy if the question the gluten content of things people want to eat and drink but should not.

Exactly you want gluten free vodka get potatoe vodka , I quit drinking I forget which brands are safe. Actually I lost my stomach lining due to celiac disease so I cannot drink but if I do maybe a sip of wine or I think champagne is gluten-free am I wrong. Idk. Brandy nope, whiskey Nono, rum some rum is gluten-free some rum is not all dark rums are not and only one brand is gluten-free. Call the manufacturer they won’t lie. They will say the truth as it’s only 1-8% of pop is celiac they aren’t losing that much business. I forget if all wine is gluten-free I hope so. All gluten-free labeled alcohol in USA is gluten-free. Or just don’t drink . It hurts my stomach so bad I can’t . Some cordials are gluten-free most are not. As for Baileys oh I’m contacting them I want some baileys in my coffee right now. 💗🎼🍾