Is gin gluten free?

Is gin gluten free? Yes, it’s naturally gluten free. However, there is always a risk of cross contamination. If you’re sensitive to gluten but still want to enjoy gin, here’s the answers to all your questions. Plus, a list of gluten free gin brands and cocktails.

What is gluten?

Gluten is the name for the protein found in wheat and rye. Gluten helps food hold its shape and is common in wheat-based foods such as bread, pasta, cereal, and pizza. However, it can be found in some unexpected foods such as soy sauce, salad dressing, etc.

People with Celiac disease are allergic to gluten. They have an immune response which causes inflammation and damage after they consume or are exposed to gluten. Even small amounts of gluten can cause a negative reaction. The FDA requires 20ppm or under for gluten-free products however, no amount of gluten is safe for those with Celiac disease.

dry gin martini with olives on white counter — Martini (recipe below)

Is gin gluten free? Is gin wheat free?

Gin is usually distilled from grains such as wheat or barley before juniper (and other botanicals) and water are added. However, there are gins distilled from grapes and potatoes (see Grain Free Gin Brands below). Gins all have juniper berries in common. But citrus, rosemary, cinnamon, and cucumber are all common botanicals added to gin.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) came out with new guidelines in 2020 on gluten labeling and advertising of wine, distilled spirits, and malt beverages. The new ruling allowed producers to label their distilled spirits as ‘gluten-free’ even if they are made from gluten-containing grains. [Source]

Even though some people can tolerate alcohol, it can be inflammatory. It’s important to remember that gin and alcohol in general, is not Paleo or AIP.

Tom Collins garnishes with a lemon wedge surrounded by lemons and olives — Tom Collins (recipe below)

How does distillation remove gluten?

To understand how gluten is removed through distillation, you’ll need to understand a few of the basics of the fermentation process.

Fermentation converts sugar into alcohol. If you’ve ever made kombucha, which is also fermented, you’ll know that the sugar feeds the fermentation process. It’s similar in making distilled alcohol. Unlike kombucha, hard liquor usually starts with fermented grains (wheat or rye), sugar cane or potatoes. Then the distillation process begins with boiling and then collecting the condensation. Then the fermented liquid is heated up in a sill, which is a large, covered pot with tubes coming out the top. The alcohol rises to the top and is syphoned off from the main liquid. The gluten proteins are heavy, so they sink to the bottom which makes the alcohol gluten free.

pouring sparkling water into gin rickey with limes — Gin Rickey (recipe below)

Is flavored gin gluten free?

It’s hard to say if a flavored gin is gluten free or not without seeing the ingredients. Alcohol companies don’t need to disclose ingredients like a food product because it doesn’t fall under the FDA but the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). And understanding the environment in which they are produced or packaged. Some gin can be aged in barrels which increased the chance of cross contamination.

Is gin and tonic gluten free?

We’ve already discussed that gin is essentially gluten free due to the distillation process. That leaves tonic water. Tonic water is a carbonated drink that is known for the inclusion of quinine among its ingredients like sweetener (usually high fructose corn syrup), citric acid and natural flavors. It tastes like a slightly bitter carbonated water that’s a little bit sweet and citrus. The addition of citric acid may make the tonic water not gluten free as citric acid can be made from wheat. Although it’s usually made with corn or beets in the US.

Unflavored seltzer water or sparkling water are better bets if you need a mixer that is gluten free.

hand holding bottle of tonic water with close up of ingredients

What are some gluten free gin brands? Here’s a gluten free gin list of some of the most popular gin brands.

Like I’ve mentioned before, due to labeling guidelines all gin is technical gluten free. However, alcohol brands do not need to disclose their ingredients as it’s considered propriety information. It’s unlikely that they are adding wheat or rye back into gin because who want wheat flavored gin? However, wheat often sneaks its way into products where you wouldn’t think it would be present. For that reason, I’ve reach out to some of the most popular brands to get more information about their facilities and inquire about an allergen statement. Please note that not all of the brands responded to my inquires.

Is Plymouth gin gluten free? Additionally, they responded to my inquiry and said the following:

'I have spoken with our distiller, and he confirms we do test our gin and are fully certified as Gluten Free. He is checking the details around the bottling plant but feels that it is probably going to be fine but as with all things along these subjects we cannot fully control the environment around our bottles from manufacture right through to purchase.'

hand holding bottle of empress gin in grocery store aisle

Is Empress gin gluten free? According to their website, ‘Yes, Empress 1908 Gin is all-natural and gluten-free. Our gin is distilled from a premium corn-based spirit.’

Is beefeater gin gluten free? Beefeater responded to my inquiry and said the following:

'We do not ensure that our products are manufactured or packaged in a 100% gluten free facility. Beefeater would be considered gluten free through the distillation process, but Beefeater is not gluten free certified.’

hand holding bottle of beefeater gin in grocery store aisle

Is Plymouth gin gluten free? Additionally, they responded to my inquiry and said the following:

'I have spoken with our distiller, and he confirms we do test our gin and are fully certified as Gluten Free. He is checking the details around the bottling plant but feels that it is probably going to be fine but as with all things along these subjects we cannot fully control the environment around our bottles from manufacture right through to purchase.'

hand holding bottle of the botanist gin in grocery store aisle

Is The Botanist gin gluten free? The Botanist responded to my inquiry with an allergen statement. You can see the full allergen statement below. In reference to gluten, it says the following:

'As far as we are aware, we can confirm that our products do not contain (and have not come into contact with) any known allergens with specific reference to those listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 as follows: Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridized strains, and products thereof, except wheat based glucose syrups including dextrose, wheat based maltodextrins, glucose syrups based on barley and cereals used for making alcoholic distillates including ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin. Although our products contain alcohol derived from barley (or wheat in the case of the Botanist Gin), the allergen associated with these cereals (i.e. gluten) is denatured by the distillation process. The final products thus do not contain any traces of this allergen, which is why the exemption exists.'

gluten free statement from the botanist gin

Is Sipsmith gin gluten free? According to Sipsmith’s website, their ‘base spirit is made from wheat and our botanical recipes include ground almonds, allergens are not carried through distillation process into our bottled gin.’ [Source] When I contacted the company, I received the following message: ‘

As a matter of policy, we don't share specific information regarding our formulas or ingredients. Beam Suntory does not advise legal age adults whether to drink or not to drink; this is a decision you may want to discuss with your physician if you have any questions. Your physician may be able to provide personalized advice about this issue based on the information provided above.’

Is Nolet's gin gluten free? Is roku gin gluten free? Even though I reached out to these brands, I never received a response. We can assume they are gluten free because it’s gin but there’s no additional insight to how they handle the product after it’s produced.

hand holding bottle of roku gin in grocery store aisle

Is all gin gluten free?

While gin is technically gluten free, some brands are not. When I reached out to these specific brands, they let us know that they may or do contain trace amount of gluten.

Is Tanqueray gin gluten free? According to their customer service:

‘Ingredients are proprietary information and we generally do not have the information readily available to provide to consumers.’

'Tanqueray London Dry Gin has NOT been verified to be gluten free nor do we claim it to be gluten free.'

Stemless wine glass filled with gin rickey surrounded by lemons and limes

Is Bombay gin gluten free? According to their website, no allergens are present in the gin. However, I received the following message from customer service:

'Please be advised Bombay Sapphire is not gluten free as it has trace amounts of grain, wheat and or rye.'

Is Hendrick’s gin gluten free? According to the Hendrick’s website, their products are gluten free. However, this is the response I received from their customer service:

‘The spirit we use is mainly wheat based and all the husk etc. is removed prior to processing. Although we’d consider that distillation removes gluten products from the final product, we are not medically qualified, and so we’d strongly recommend you consult a physician about whether this is an appropriate choice for you given the specific nature of your allergy, just to be on the safe side.’

couple glass with dry gin martini with olives on white counter

Grain Free Gin Brands

If you find that gin continues to give you issues, you may need to avoid grains altogether. Here’s a list of grain free gin made from either grapes or potatoes.

Sing Gin (made from grapes)
Chase Gin (made from potatoes)
Priory Gin (made from potatoes)
O.R.E. 118 Raw Vegan Gin (made from grapes)
G’Vine Floraison Gin (made from grapes)
Ebra Gin (made from grapes)
Cold River Gin (made from potatoes). According to the website, it explicitly says ‘gluten free.’ And customer service added, ‘all of our alcohol is made from Maine potatoes. Potatoes have no gluten. No other alcohol but potato is produced here.’
Muff Irish Potato Gin (made from potatoes): According to the owner, ‘our gin & vodka are both gluten free however both products are made in a distillery with grain based whiskey. We have never had an issue with any cross over contamination in the past however it would be at the buyers risk.’
Sweet Potato London Dry Gin (made from potatoes): According to customer service: ‘Sweet Potato has no gluten and all of our processes for all Sweet Potato Spirit Co products have no added gluten. The production area is allergen-free so there is no risk of cross contamination.’

gin rickey and martini with olives surrounded by limes

Non-Alcoholic Gin

Initially, I thought I would include some non-alcoholic gin options. Once I started researching non-alcoholic gin and dug into the ingredients, I realized that every option I found included citric acid, natural flavors, and preservatives. Citric acid is usually made from corn or wheat. Due to processing, it’s considered gluten free. But there are other ingredients like caramel coloring, ‘natural flavors,’ etc. which make figuring out if the product is gluten free or not more confusing.

Popular Gluten Free Gin Cocktail Recipes

Dry Martini: Pour 3 ounces of gin over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until cold. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with green olives and/or lemon peel. If you like it dirty, add a splash of olive brine.
Gin Rickey: Pour 2 ounces gin, 1/2 ounce lime juice into a highball glass over ice. Top with sparkling water and garnish with a few lime wheels. Please note a stemless wine glass is shown in the photos.
Strawberry Rhubarb French 75: See the recipe here.
Tom Collins: Pour 2 ounces gin, 1 ounce lemon juice, 1 ounce Honey Simple Syrup over ice in a Collins (highball) glass. Top with 4 ounces of sparkling water.
Bee’s Knees: Pour 1/2 ounce Honey Simple Syrup, 2 ounces gin, 1 ounce lemon juice over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until cold. Strain into a cocktail or coupe glass and garnish with a lemon peel. Please note drink is not shown in photos.

champagne coupe of strawberry rhubarb french 75 with strawberries — Strawberry Rhubarb French 75

Thoughts on gluten free gin

It’s very important that you always read the ingredients on the products that you purchase. Just because something like gin would logically only include one ingredient, doesn’t make it so. You’d think that you wouldn’t need to dig deeper into the ingredients. But every company has a different way of handling and flavoring their products which allows for cross contamination.

Brands can and will change their manufacturing process/ingredients without notice so it’s best to be vigilant regarding ingredients and packaging.

If you have a gluten intolerance or suffer from celiac disease, then it’s best to read labels, research brands and use only those products which you trust.

If you’re concerned about other products being gluten free, check out these posts.

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