Is Bourbon Gluten-free? Plus a List of Gluten-free Bourbon Brands

Find out if bourbon has gluten, if it’s safe for a gluten-free diet, if your favorites are gluten-free, and what brands to look for.

If you’re just getting started with a gluten-free diet, you may be wondering what you’ll need to change when it comes to food and drink you’re familiar with.

Knowing what food is gluten-free is the most important to your diet, but did you know gluten can sometimes sneak into your drinks too?

If you drink alcohol, you’ll want to be sure you know what types of alcohol are safe and which ones you’ll want to steer clear of. In this post, we’re going to answer the question: “is bourbon gluten-free?”

This post is part of the Gluten-free Alcohol Series, where we’re going to discuss different types of alcoholic drinks and how they fit into a gluten-free diet.

What is bourbon made from?

Bourbon is a type of whiskey and is primarily made from corn. According to Thrillist, a whiskey can only be considered a bourbon if it is made up of 51% corn, rye, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain.

In addition, this mixture has to be stored in charred oak containers and cannot have any additives.

While there are some alcohols that have general guidelines, what separates a bourbon from other types of whiskey is actually a law.

Read on: Is corn gluten-free?

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Read on: Is barley gluten-free?

Is bourbon gluten-free? Does bourbon have gluten?

Yes, like other whiskeys, bourbon that is distilled and is pure from the bottle is considered gluten-free.

Even though it can be made using wheat and grains that contain gluten, the gluten is removed from the bourbon during the distillation process.

You can safely enjoy pure distilled bourbon on a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-free Bourbon

Now that we’ve established that bourbon is gluten-free and safe for a gluten-free diet, let’s go over some brands you can check out next time you head to the store to shop for alcohol. We’ll also answer a few questions for some folks’ favorite bourbon brands.

Gluten-free Bourbon Brands List

There are loads of different brands of bourbon that are gluten-free. Here are some popular bourbon brands to be on the lookout for next time you’re shopping.

Angel’s Envy

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels
Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks
Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Wine Barrels
Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey Finished In Ice Cider Casks
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Japanese Mizunara Oak Casks
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Oloroso Sherry Casks
Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Tawny Port Wine Barrels

Barrell

Barrell Batch 032
Barrell New Year 2022
Barrell Batch 031
Barrell Batch 030
Barrell Batch 029
Barrell Batch 028
Barrell Batch 027
Barrell New Year 2021
Barrell Batch 026
Barrell Batch 025
Barrell Batch 024
Barrell Batch 023
Barrell Batch 022
Barrell Batch 021
Barrell New Year 2020

Basil Hayden’s

Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bulleit

Bulleit Bourbon
Bulleit Rye
Bulleit Bouron 10 Year Old
Bulleit Barrel Strength

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr.

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Proof
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Seasoned Wood
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Amaranth
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. 18 Year Marraige
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Bourbon

Elijah Craig

Elijah Craig Small Batch
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old
Elijah Craig Straight Rye

Evan Williams

Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Evan Williams Bottled-in Bond
Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch
Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage

Four Roses

Four Roses Bourbon
Four Roses Small Batch
Four Roses Single Barrel
Four Roses Small Batch Select

Hudson Bay Bourbon

Hudson Whiskey NY Bright Lights, Big Bourbon
Hudson Whiskey NY Do The Rye Thing
Hudson Whiskey NY Short Stack
Hudson Whiskey NY Back Room Deal
Hudson Whiskey NY Four Part Harmony

Jim Beam Bourbon

Jim Beam Black
Jim Beam Double Oak
Jim Beam Rye
Jim Beam Devil’s Cut
Jim Beam Single Barrel

Knob Creek Whiskey

Knob Creek 9 Year Bourbon Whiskey
Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
Knob Creek 12 Year Bourbon Whiskey
Knob Creek Select Bourbon Whiskey
Knob Creek Reserve Single Barrel
Knob Creek Select Rye
Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Maker’s Mark Bourbon

Maker’s Mark
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength
Maker’s Mark 46
Maker’s Mark Private Selection
Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021: FAE-02
Maker’s Mark 101

Michter’s

Michter’s US Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter’s US Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter’s US 1 American Whiskey
Michter’s US 1 Sour Mash
Michter’s 10 Year Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter’s 20 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter’s 25 Year Kentucky Straight Rye
Michter’s 25 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Michter’s US 1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon
Michter’s US 1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye
Michter’s US 1 Barrel Strength Rye
Michter’s US 1 Limited Release Barrel Strength Bourbon
Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2013
Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2016
Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2019

Old Forester

Old Forester 86 Proof
Old Forester Rye Whisky
Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Whisky
Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Whisky
Old Forester President’s Choice Bourbon
Old Forester Statesman Bourbon
Old Forester Mint Julep
Old Forester Single Barrel 100 Proof
Old Forester Single Barrel Barrel Proof
Old Forester Single Barrel Rye
Old Forester 2020 Birthday Bourbon
Old Forester The 117 Series: High Angels’ Share
Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Whisky
Old Forester 1897 Bottled In Bond Whisky
Old Forester 100 Proof

Wild Turkey Bourbon

Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon
Wild Turkey Bourbon
Wild Turkey Rye 101
Wild Turkey Rye
Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Wild Turkey Rare Breed Rye
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep One
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep 17 Year
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye
Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Revival

Woodford Reserve

Woodford Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Woodford Reserve Malt Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Rye Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Wheat Whiskey
Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition
Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection

What bourbon is gluten-free?

I’ve received a few specific questions related to bourbon brands on whether or not they’re gluten-free, so I thought I’d address these specific questions here. Find out if some of your favorite bourbon brands are gluten-free below.

Is Maker’s Mark gluten-free?

Yes, even though Maker’s Mark contains gluten in their mash, the gluten is removed during the distillation process. You can safely enjoy Maker’s Mark bourbon on a gluten-free diet.

Is Bulleit Bourbon gluten-free?

Bulleit bourbon is considered gluten-free and safe for a gluten-free diet, despite using gluten-containing grains in their mash. The gluten used in the mash is removed during the distillation process while making the bourbon.

Is Angel’s Envy gluten-free?

Angel’s Envy bourbon is distilled, therefore it is considered safe for a gluten-free diet. All gluten that may have been present is removed during the distillation process.

Is Basil Hayden’s gluten-free?

Basil Hayden’s bourbon is gluten-free and safe to enjoy on a gluten-free diet. Any gluten that is in the mash is removed during the distillation of the bourbon.

Is Elijah Craig bourbon gluten-free?

Like other bourbons, Elijah Craig bourbon is distilled alcohol, therefore it is considered safe for a gluten-free diet. Any gluten present in the mash for the bourbon gets removed during the distillation process.

Is Evan Williams gluten-free?

Yes, Evan Williams is gluten-free and you can safely enjoy this on a gluten-free diet. Any gluten that has been used in this bourbon gets removed during the distillation process.

Is Four Roses gluten-free?

Four Roses is considered gluten-free as it has been distilled and all gluten in the mash will get removed during the distillation process.

Is Jim Beam gluten-free?

Yes, Jim Beam is gluten-free according to Gluten Bee. Since Jim Beam is a distilled product, the gluten has been removed from the alcohol.

Read on: Is Jim Beam gluten-free?

Is Knob Creek gluten-free?

Knob Creek brand of whiskey is safe for a gluten-free diet, as any gluten that is in the mash used for the bourbon gets removed during distillation.

Is Wild Turkey gluten-free?

Wild Turkey bourbon is considered gluten-free, as the gluten that was present in the mash for the bourbon is removed during the distillation process.

Is Woodford Reserve gluten-free?

Woodford Reserve brand of bourbon is considered gluten-free and has been confirmed by the brand to consumers.

If you’re following a gluten-free diet, I hope that this information has been helpful for you in deciding what bourbon to choose.

You can get back to enjoying your favorite Old Fashioned, Hot Toddy, and Mint Julep drinks from here on out. Just be sure all your mixers are also gluten-free!

Do research for yourself to come up with an answer you feel comfortable with before making a decision. Be sure that if you decide to drink whiskey, that you monitor your symptoms for 24 to 72 hours afterwards to be sure nothing unusual pops up.

Love this post? Check out more from the Gluten-free Alcohol Series.

Wondering which alcohol is safe for a gluten-free diet? Find out in the Gluten-free Alcohol series!

Comments

Jennifer says
September 20, 2022 at 11:33 am
I enjoyed your article but wanted to let you know as a person with celiac disease, I had a severe reaction to Makers Mark after ingesting very small amounts in a recipe I made at home in my gluten free kitchen. I don’t know if this is a cross contamination issue in the factory or if the distillation process does not fully filter the gluten but this brand is not at all “Gluten Free”. I just wanted to alert other Celiac survivors out there.
- Rachael Roehmholdt says
  September 20, 2022 at 11:43 am
  I am so sorry to hear that, Jennifer! Thanks for sharing with the community. Hopefully it will help others who read this post and can hear about a first-hand experience!

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