Is your Spirit Gluten Free?

We have been asked this question by a number of our customers - so we thought we would give you an idea of how it all works…

In short, the answer is yes - all distilled spirits are gluten free, however, as with everything in life, there are always exceptions. Let us discuss this further below:

The Source Materials
Source Materials are the base ingredients that are used to make the spirit. Depending on the spirit you’re making, the source material will be different.

Whisky uses grain to make the whisky wash - the grains differ depending on the type of whisky being made: malted barley, rye, corn, etc.

Vodka, Gin, and other spirits (such as our Absinthe) are made from a Neutral Spirit. Neutral Spirits can be made using a number of different ingredients, with Grain, Cane or Grape being the most commonly used ingredients in Australia.

Many (but not all) of these ingredients contain gluten, so you may say to yourself" “it’s made with gluten, so surely it’s not gluten free” - but this is not necessarily true - it all has to do with how the spirit is made, so let us talk about this next.

What the Distillation Process Does
The distillation process is essentailly a purification and rectification process. To start off with, the relevant source material (whisky wash or neutral spirit) is added to the still and then heated up. The liquid is heated to the point of boiling and the liquid then evaporates into a vapour. The vapour then travels up the swan neck, down the lyne arm and into the condensor where the vapour is cooled and turns into a liquid. This process sees the protein (which is the bit that contains the gluten) left behind to be disposed of with the rest of the waste.

Hence, no actual gluten is contained in the distilled product.

So… What’s the Catch?
A spirit may contain gluten if there is accidental cross-contamination post-distillation or if there was an additive containing gluten intentionally added to the spirit post-distillation (e.g. some flavourings or colourings).

More Reading
If you want to do more reading, check our Beyond Celiac and Coeliac Australia.