What Brands of Liquor are Gluten-Free?

Celiac.com 05/10/2022 - We get a lot of questions about which alcoholic beverages are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. Even with our numerous articles on alcohol, and even with the news that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled that distilled foods and spirits made from gluten-containing grains can be labelled as ‘gluten-free,’ we still get a large number off questions about which brands of liquor are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. Well, the answer is: most of them. That's right, as long as no gluten ingredients are added after distillation, nearly every brand of distilled liquor is gluten-free, and safe for people with celiac disease. Here's the rundown.

Gluten-Free Distilled Liquor
Distillation removes gluten proteins from the final product, and since September of 2020,the FDA rules allow all distilled alcohols to be labelled "gluten-free" no matter their source ingredients. 

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Moreover, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has long regarded all distilled spirits as gluten-free, provided no gluten is added to the final product of any distilled alcohol. ADA guidelines indicate that all 100% distilled spirits are safe, including those distilled from grains, such as whiskey, bourbon and gin. 

Is Gin Gluten-Free?
Yes. Most gins are made with gluten-containing cereal grains, but all of them are gluten-free, as long as they do not add gluten after distillation. Still, many people with celiac disease choose to avoid beverages made from grain ingredients, while many others drink them with no adverse effects.

Brands of Gluten-Free Gin

• Cold River Gin—distilled from potatoes 
• Brands of Standard Gin
• Aviation American Gin
• Beefeater
• Bombay
• Bombay Sapphire
• Boodles British Gin
• Booth's Gin 
• Gordon's
• Leopolds Gin
• New Amsterdam Gin
• Seagram's
• Tanqueray

Is Rum Gluten-Free?
Yes, rum is gluten-free. Distilled from sugar cane, rum is gluten-free and safe for celiacs. Beware of pre-made drink mixes, such as those intended for piña coladas — many of these contain gluten ingredients as flavoring.

Brands of Gluten-Free Rum:

• Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum
• Bacardi—only Gold, Superior, 151, and flavored
• Bayou Rum
• Bundaberg Rum
• Captain Morgan Rum
• Cruzan Rum
• Malibu Rum
• Montanya Distillers
• Mount Gay Rum
• Meyer's Rum

Gluten-Free Sake
Fermented with rice and Koji enzymes. The Koji enzymes are grown on Miso, which is usually made with barley. The two-product separation from barley, and the manufacturing process should make it safe for celiacs.

Is Tequila Gluten-Free?
Yes, tequila is gluten-free. Distilled from the agave cactus, all tequilas are gluten-free and safe for celiacs, and if you want to avoid any that may contain added alcohol derived from gluten grains, just look for "100% Pure Agave" on the bottle. 

Brands of Gluten-free Tequila

• 1519 Tequila
• 1800 Tequila
• Cabo Wabo
• Casamigos
• Cazadores
• Chimayo
• Don Julio
• El Jimador
• Herradura
• Hornitos
• Jose Cuervo
• Patrón
• Sauza

Is Vodka Gluten-Free?
As long as no gluten is added after distillation, vodkas distilled from potatoes, gluten-free grains or other gluten-free ingredients, contain no gluten ingredients and can be labeled as gluten-free.

Brands of Naturally Gluten-Free Vodka

• Broken Shed Vodka
• Corn Vodka—Deep Eddy, Nikolai, Rain, Tito's, UV
• Grape Vodka—Bombora, Cooranbong
• Potato Vodka—Boyd & Blair, Cirrus, Chase, Chopin, Cold River Vodka, Cracovia, Grand Teton, Karlsson's, Luksusowa, Monopolowa, Schramm Organic, Zodiac
• Rice Vodka—Kissui
• Sugar Cane—Downunder, DOT AU

Many vodkas are made with gluten-containing cereal grains. As long as no gluten is added after distillation, the final distilled product does not contain gluten, and can now be advertised and labeled as gluten-free. Many people with celiac disease choose to avoid these beverages, while many others drink them with no adverse effects.

Gluten-free vodkas distilled from cereal grains:

• Barley Vodka—Finlandia
• Grain Vodka—Absolwent, Blavod, Bowman's, Fleischmann's, Orloff, Polonaise, SKYY, Smirnoff, Stolichnaya, 
• Wheat Vodka—Absolut, Bong Spirit, Danzka, Grey Goose, Hangar One, Ketel One, P.i.n.k Vodka
• Rye Vodka—Belvedere, BiaÅ‚a Dama, Platinka, Sobieski, Starka, Wisent, Wyborowa, Xellent Swiss, Å»ubrówka

Gluten-Free Whiskey
Nearly all whiskeys are made with gluten-containing cereal grains. The final product does not contain gluten, and can now be advertised and labeled as gluten-free. Many people with celiac disease choose to avoid these whiskeys, while many others drink them with no adverse effects.

Gluten-free Whiskey Brands

• Queen Jennie Whiskey, by Old Sugar Distillery is made entirely from sorghum
• Gold Spur Corn Whiskey by Cowboy Country Distilling is made with corn, millet and oats
• Whiskeys Distilled from Cereal Grains
• Bourbon—Benjamin Prichard's, Booker's, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Early Times, Ezra Brooks, Jefferson's Bourbon, Knob Creek, Makers Mark, Old Crow, Old Forester, Old Grand-Dad
• Canadian Whiskey—Alberta Premium, Black Velvet, Canadian Club, Crown Royal,
• Tenesse Whiskey—Jack Daniels, George Dickel.
• Irish Whiskey—Bushmills, Jameson, Kilbeggan, Redbreast, Tullamore Dew
• Japanese Blended Whiskey—Hibiki, Kakubin, Nikka, 
• Japanese Single Malt Whiskey—Hakushu, Yamazaki, Yoichi
• Rye Whiskey—Alberta Premium, Bulleitt
• Scotch Whiskey Blends—Ballentine's, Bell's, Black Grouse, Chivas Regal, Cutty Sark, Dewar's, Famous Grouse, Johnnie Walker, Teacher's, Whitehorse
• Scotch Whiskey Single Malts—Bowmore, Glenfiddich, Glen Grant, The Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Highland Park, Knockando, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Macallan, Monkey Shoulder, Singleton, Talisker 
• Taiwanese Whiskey—Kavalan Classic

Are Wine Coolers Gluten-Free?
Many wine coolers are made from barley products, and so contain gluten. There are a few exceptions.

• Gluten-Free Wine Coolers include:
• Bartle & Jaymes - all EXCEPT malt beverages
• Boones - all EXCEPT malt beverages

Other Gluten-Free Liquors, Wines and Spirits

• Brandy
• Campari
• Champagne
• Cognac—made from grapes
• Cointreau
• Grappa
• Jaegermeister
• Midori
• Prosecco
• Khalua Coffee Liqueur
• Kirschwasser (cherry liqueur)
• Old Deadly Cider
• Sambuca
• Vermouth

Gluten-Free Drink Mixes

• Club Extra Dry Martini (corn & grape)
• Club Vodka Martini (corn & grape)
• Coco Casa and Coco Lopez Brands: Cream of Coconut
• Jose Cuervo Brand: Margarita Mix and All Jose Cuervo Blenders
• Master of Mixes Brand: Tom Collins, Whiskey Sour, Strawberry Daiquiri, Sweet & Sour Mixer, and Margarita Mix
• Mr. & Mrs. T—Except Bloody Mary Mix
• TGI Friday's Brand: On The Rocks, Long Island Ice Tea, Margarita, Mudslide, Pina Colada, and Strawberry Daiquiri.
• TGI Friday's Club Cocktails including: Gin Martini, Manhattan, Screwdriver, Vodka Martini, and Whiskey Sour mix.
• Other Gluten-free Beverages Mixes & Cooking Alcohol
• Club Tom Collins—made with corn
• Diamond Jims Bloody Mary Mystery
• Holland House - all EXCEPT Teriyaki Marinade and Smooth & Spicy Bloody Mary Mixes
• Mead—made from honey
• Mistico: Jose Cuervo Mistico—agave and cane
• Ouzo - made from grapes and anise
• Spice Islands - Cooking Wines - Burgundy, Sherry and White

Also Godiva products contain gluten as do Smirnoff FMB's, Twisted V, and Smirnoff Ice.

NOTE: Certain spirits use chemical additives and preservatives such as glycerin to create a specific "mouth feel" and texture in an alcoholic beverage. Propylene glycol is used in foods and spirits, and although these ingredients are gluten-free, some people do have allergic reactions to them. Sulfites are often added to red wines, and many people are allergic to them.