Is Bourbon gluten free? According to the Celiac Disease Foundation Bourbon is gluten free because of the distillation process. But some individuals that have celiac disease can still react negatively to any bourbon that is made with gluten containing grains.
What is distillation?
It is when fermented mesh is heated into a vapor and then condensed into liquid. In this process alcohol is separated from the fermented grain mixture. What distillation does is it separates the gluten from the alcohol. But if the distillation wasn’t done properly then gluten can still be in there. That’s why the credibility of the distillery facility is so important in this process.

Is Bourbon Gluten Free? Photo Credit: iStock/ValentynVolkov
The people that are gluten sensitive can still be contaminated by bourbon. Why? Because of the trace amounts of gluten in bourbon. And this happens occasionally when gluten containing ingredients are added after distillation.
Just because a whiskey or bourbon says 100% gluten free it doesn’t mean there isn’t any gluten in it. If you are concerned about ingredients in your favorite flavored bourbon your best bet is to contact the distillery facility and get that detailed information.
Here are some of the 100% gluten free bourbon and whiskeys.
- Hudson Baby Bourbon made from 100% corn.
- Koval Bourbon Whiskey made from 100% corn and millet.
- Queen Jennie Sorghum Whiskey made from 100% sorghum.
- S.S Sorghum Whiskey made from 100% sorghum.
- New Southern Revival Sorghum Whiskey made from 100% sorghum.
If your bourbon or whiskey is made from corn or sorghum it is a desirable alternative gluten free option. As I said earlier your best bet is to contact the distillery to see if there is gluten containing ingredients even in the ones that say 100% gluten free.
“The people that are gluten sensitive can still be contaminated by bourbon. Why? Because of the trace amounts of gluten in bourbon. And this happens occasionally when gluten containing ingredients are added after distillation.”- Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line is the only way to know that your bourbon or whiskey is gluten free is that it says 100% gluten free on the bottle. And also, that it says it is made of either corn, millet, or sorghum.
When the distillation happens, it should remove most and all gluten from it. But if the distillation is not done properly then there will be some gluten in there.
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References
- Panda, R., & Garber, E. (2019). Detection and Quantitation of Gluten in Fermented-Hydrolyzed Foods by Antibody-Based Methods: Challenges, Progress, and a Potential Path Forward. Frontiers in nutrition, 6, 97. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2019.00097
- The Celiac Disease Foundation Sources of Gluten | Celiac Disease Foundation
- IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Alcohol Consumption and Ethyl Carbamate. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2010. (IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, No. 96.) 1, Exposure Data. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK326559/