Is Bourbon Gluten Free

Is bourbon gluten free? YES. Pure bourbon is in fact gluten free, however like a lot of things that are related to gluten, you have to figure out what else is inside before you drink it.

Like all distilled drinks, according to the FDA, they are considered gluten free even if they are made with wheat or rye because of the process of filtration that gets the gluten protein out.

However, some people who are super sensitive or just don’t trust the process avoid distilled drinks just to be on the safe side.

I myself, am on the strict side, and I will not consume foods or drinks that were made with gluten ingredients even if they have been filtered out like in alcohol which has been distilled or foods where the gluten protein was taken out. To each is own.

Is Bourbon Gluten Free

Bacardi Rum gluten free confidence score = 4.5/10

Why did we score Bourbon so low on the gluten free confidence scale if we opened the article saying it is gluten free? Well, the answer to that is that bourbon is in fact gluten free, if you drink it at its purest form.

The issue is that most brands add spices and flavors to their drinks which makes them not gluten free at all.

In the US. The official definition of a Bourbon drink is that it must be made of at least 51% of corn or maize. Which are both gluten free – awesome!

However, the other 49% can be pretty much whatever the brand wants to add. Like grains, or flavors and spices to get specific tastes that in a lot of cases contain gluten.

While the gluten protein is removed during the distillation process making the drink officialy gluten free, it was still made by gluten ingredients.

Our recommendation is to try and avoid it if you can replace it with other drinks, but if you’re not super sensitive, or don’t have Celiac disease and just avoid gluten by choice, you could try a little bit and see how it makes you feel.

Most common Bourbon brands

Here are some of the most popular bourbon brands: