Brandy - How To Tell If It's Gluten Free?

[ItchyAbby]

Hi all,

I have a bottle of E&J VSOP Superior reserve brandy that I was going to use in a recipe. I called the company and asked if it was gluten free, if they used any caramel colors or flours on their barrels. They confirmed that it was gluten free. But then I did a search on Celiac.com and found a list of alcohols that said "AVOID VSOP!" Sooo, who do I believe? What to do?

[cyclinglady]

The risk of setting off an insanely itchy rash? I would pass.

[LauraTX]

Well, you have to think about the sources you have.  One being the manufacturer who knows exactly what goes into their product in 2014, the second being a post from 2005 that is some random, now-inactive users blog that is oddly formatted and lacks sources.  I would give no merit to the second source.  Some people cannot tolerate a lot of drinking or some alcohols for other reasons- if you can tolerate drinking it is unlikely you are going to have a problem with it.  

 

Just remember to look at the reliability of the sources when you look things up.  That old blog post is a great example of an unreliable source.  The now inactive poster has a lot of posted blogs that look like copied and pasted stuff from things like Taco Bell's gluten-free menu.  Sets off the "don't listen to this person" alarm to me.

[Adalaide]

I'm going to second Laura. The most reliable source of information about a product is always going to be the manufacturer. Among the least I would list 9 year old information by some random person on the internet who can't source their information. I'd list that as about as reliable (or less than) unsourced wiki information.

[kareng]

I have been drinking it. Not sure where the gluten would be. I would believe the people that make it over some odd post on here.

Of course, I am a person who makes odd posts on here......

[psawyer]

I can't imagine why there would be gluten in brandy. The flour-from-the-barrel myth has been thoroughly debunked, and caramel color is not a concern either.

As others have said, the manufacturer is the best possible source.

[cyclinglady]

Okay, I will change my position. My first response was based on the fact that I rarely drink, and when I do, it is not brandy, and sometimes I am just too lazy to chase down the answer.

That old jar of mayonnaise in the refrigerator? "When it doubt throw it out!" That has carried over into my gluten free life. Not necessarily accurate (that old jar of mayonnaise might be safe to eat) , but effective for me!