Gin Is Okay, Correct?

[Nashville]

Gin is gluten free, isn't it? Thanks in advance.

[Lisa]

Yes, but not flavored. (flavored Gin, does it exist?) Any distilled beverage should be ok.

Enjoy.

[eKatherine]

Yes, but not flavored. (flavored Gin, does it exist?) Any distilled beverage should be ok.

Enjoy.

Open Original Shared Link

Gin is the distillate of a grain mash with various flavoring agents. It gets its primary flavor from Juniper berries, but many other herbs and spices go into the make-up. The botanicals come from all over the world: Cardamom from Sri Lanka, Cassia bark from Vietnam, Orange peel from Spain, Coriander seed from the Czech Republic, Angelica root from Germany. Most of the Juniper berries themselves are imported from Italy. There are also dozens of other possible ingredients. Each distiller has his own secret formula and no two Gin brands are exactly alike.

[psawyer]

"All gin is flavored." Well, yes it is. The flavoring, principally juniper, is added to the mash prior to distillation. The resulting distilled spirit is safe, as is any distilled spirit to which nothing has been added after distillation.

Some people react to grain alcohol, and may need to avoid gin for that reason. The subject of distilled spirits has been debated on this board at considerable length, and I don't mean to restart that discussion.

[Lillyth]

"All gin is flavored." Well, yes it is. The flavoring, principally juniper, is added to the mash prior to distillation. The resulting distilled spirit is safe, as is any distilled spirit to which nothing has been added after distillation.

Some people react to grain alcohol, and may need to avoid gin for that reason. The subject of distilled spirits has been debated on this board at considerable length, and I don't mean to restart that discussion.

I, personally react to Gin. (And all other distilled grain alcohols).

Again, not to restart the distilled-alcohol-safe-or-not debate, my advice would be to have a glass (or should I say a Gin drink), but only one, moniter yourslef to see if you react. If you do, don't drink it anymore. If you don't react - GREAT!

FYI, my molecular biologist friend says that with distilled alcohols, the more expensive, the greater chance you won't react, so I'd say go for the top-shelf stuff.

Hope this info helps.

Lil

[gfp]

I, personally react to Gin. (And all other distilled grain alcohols).

Again, not to restart the distilled-alcohol-safe-or-not debate, my advice would be to have a glass (or should I say a Gin drink), but only one, moniter yourslef to see if you react. If you do, don't drink it anymore. If you don't react - GREAT!

FYI, my molecular biologist friend says that with distilled alcohols, the more expensive, the greater chance you won't react, so I'd say go for the top-shelf stuff.

Hope this info helps.

Lil

Not to reopen the debate, I agree with both of the above.

My experience with grain alcohol is I react to either more than a single measure and/or repeated ingestion.

I am often able to get away with one..(I try not to but picking up a vodka and X instead of rum and X).. but if I do this a couple of days on the run then it gets me.

I say this because I don't think a single glass is diagnostic ...

Traditionally gin is made form the cheapest and worst distillate, this was the original reason for the flavoring and London gin's were the drink of the lowest classes. Obviously top shelf stuff I guess is made with a bit more effort but ...?

The thing is celiac is hard enough.... we all make mistakes from time to time or get CC'd. Adding something you might or might not react to just adds confusion... it can mess up finding the culprit from other sources if you are unsure ...

[rinne]

Some people react to grain alcohol, and may need to avoid gin for that reason. The subject of distilled spirits has been debated on this board at considerable length, and I don't mean to restart that discussion.

I wonder where I might find this "debate", as a newbie it is interesting to me. The slightest amount of grain alcohol causes me pain.

I have read on gluten free sites that distilled alcohol is safe. One scotch was my first accidental glutening and for me confirmation that gluten was a huge problem for me. I can drink potato based vodka.

There is a European gin that has many herbs in it, I'd be curious to know about that one, it comes in a turquoise bottle, makes a delicious martini, mmmm I must be feeling better , I must go looking.....

[gfp]

I wonder where I might find this "debate", as a newbie it is interesting to me. The slightest amount of grain alcohol causes me pain.

I have read on gluten free sites that distilled alcohol is safe. One scotch was my first accidental glutening and for me confirmation that gluten was a huge problem for me. I can drink potato based vodka.

There is a European gin that has many herbs in it, I'd be curious to know about that one, it comes in a turquoise bottle, makes a delicious martini, mmmm I must be feeling better , I must go looking.....

Bombay saphire?

Please... just use the search feature.

We have discussed this to death and it can't be proven either way.

In theory it should be safe... but many of us do react. The overal chemistry is very simple but the detail of that chemistry is very very complex and not something can be solved by this board.

What it comes down to is if there is an element of risk ....should we take risk. It also comes down a little to belief, what do you want to believe and is that belief enough to overcome the fact many of us report reactions.

Are we perhaps making the symptoms up or denying we might have been glutened elsewhere.....

The strongest arguament you have already made and that is some of us definately do react or believe we do.

[rinne]

Bombay saphire?

Please... just use the search feature.

We have discussed this to death and it can't be proven either way.

In theory it should be safe... but many of us do react. The overal chemistry is very simple but the detail of that chemistry is very very complex and not something can be solved by this board.

What it comes down to is if there is an element of risk ....should we take risk. It also comes down a little to belief, what do you want to believe and is that belief enough to overcome the fact many of us report reactions.

Are we perhaps making the symptoms up or denying we might have been glutened elsewhere.....

The strongest arguament you have already made and that is some of us definately do react or believe we do.

I'm not awake yet, didn't mean to just quote you. I'm okay with trusting myself. As to the search feature, Doh!

[Lillyth]

What it comes down to is if there is an element of risk ....should we take risk. It also comes down a little to belief, what do you want to believe and is that belief enough to overcome the fact many of us report reactions.

Are we perhaps making the symptoms up or denying we might have been glutened elsewhere.....

The strongest arguament you have already made and that is some of us definately do react or believe we do.

I will be going to the celiac conference at Stanford next month - I will be sure to bring this topic up, and see what the folks "in the frontlines" say.

As for reacting vs. believing you are reacting - is there really a difference? I mean sheesh - am I really having diarrhea, or do I just believe I am having diarrhea? Isn't the end result still diarrhea? Or a headache?

To quote (loosly) a passage from Catch 22:

Some guy whose name I cant recall to Yosarian: "He's not really in love - he just thinks he is"

Yosarian: "What's the difference?

[Sierra]

Gin is/was one of my favorite distilled alcohols. Based on extremely limited testing on me I appear not to react to Bombay Sapphire (the nice blue bottle) but I appear to have reacted from Aviation Gin, a local distillery that I actually asked about the gluten issue. The distillery makes both Medoyeff vodka and Aviation gin, so I asked about both. Both are high end specialty drinks.

"Both the Medoyeff Vodka and the Aviation Gin are made from rye. That being said, gluten stays in the pot since it does not evaporate in the still,

so does not come through into the product. We infuse botanicals into the gin before distillation. All we do after distillation is filtration through charcoal/limestone (Medoyeff) and cutting to proof with distilled water (both)."

This would make me think that I ought to be able to drink the Aviation since nothing is added back after distillation, but it sure did make me bloat up like pig! This was after one small martini, so I don't think I just drank too much... I haven't had an issue with other distilled liquors, but I'll undoubtedly try other rye based alcohols. I'm pretty sure my vodka is rye based - I brought it back from Russia and I think most vodkas there are rye.

[Lillyth]

This would make me think that I ought to be able to drink the Aviation since nothing is added back after distillation, but it sure did make me bloat up like pig! This was after one small martini, so I don't think I just drank too much...

That is exactly how I feel! Everyone keeps telling me that, as a celiac, these things are safe - yet I always react to them precisely the way I do to gluten. For more see: http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=23890

I'm so confused about this! I keep hearing that it is okay, yet I keep having reactions... And the fact that I am not *supposed* to makes it worse (emotionally).

I don't know, maybe it is a throwback to pre-knowledge of celaic - where things affected me in a way that they were not *supposed* to.

Maybe I'm just super sensitive & react where others don't, or maybe it's something else with the exact same symptoms...

If it's the latter, I need to figure it out ASAP. If it's the former, maybe I should get a job as a gluten-tester...