Brandy is considered an alcoholic liquor that is popular amongst many connoisseurs. It is most often sipped straight up, but it is also becoming more common in cocktails. If you have celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten, you may wonder…is brandy gluten free?
What Is Brandy?
Brandy is a distilled liquor, also known as eau de vie, that is made from fermented fruit or wine. It has a high alcohol content, it is even higher than vodka! Brandy is typically percent alcohol by volume and many brandies range from 70-120 proof.
There are different types of brandy, some are even flavored. Whether you are drinking plain brandy or flavored can make a big difference.
Most high-quality brandy is enjoyed straight, with or without ice. Many people with celiac disease, gluten allergy, and gluten intolerance wonder if brandy is a safe liquor to drink. Those with celiac or gluten intolerance must avoid wheat, barley, and rye.
Answer: Is Brandy Gluten Free?
Yes, pure distilled brandy is considered gluten free. It is made from distilled wine, which is gluten free. (Be careful with some flavored brandies and cognacs, which are made with brandy and have added ingredients.) You can read is wine is gluten free and more about the process.
Pure distilled liquors are gluten free because any potential gluten proteins are removed in the distillation process. You can read more about gluten and alcohol on U Chicago’s site. It is always good to double-check the labels of any alcoholic beverages.
The distillation process heats fermented juice until it vaporizes. This vapor is condensed into an alcoholic liquid. During the process, lower boiling point components are separated from higher ones. Gluten has a very high boiling point, so it is removed in distillation, leaving the end product gluten free. This process is why most distilled alcohol is gluten free.
If you love brandy as much as we do, here are 10 delicious cocktails made with brandy. Brandy makes really good coffee drinks, too, though be sure to use a cheaper brandy if you are using it in mixed drinks. There is no need to spend more money if you blend the brandy.
Note, if you are buying a cheap brandy like Christian Brother’s brand, that can contain caramel color, which may or may not be gluten free. You will need to contact the manufacturer if you are in doubt about a brandy you want to purchase.
Popular Brands of Brandy:
- Hennessey
- Remy Martin
- Courvoisier
- E&J Brandy
- Christian Brothers
- Cumbe
- Black Pure Brandy
Be sure to check out what beer and other liquors are gluten free to be sure you are safe.
Christian brothers Brandy has carmel color added to it. We celiacs know that some carmel colors are not gluten-free, so unless you are an expert, scientist or have contacted the maker yourself, you shouldn’t make claims about allergens you know nothing about and could make someone sick.
Hi GiGi, First, there is no need to be nasty. It sounds like you had a bad experience with a cheap brand that added caramel color to their mix. Thank you for your note about Christian Brothers. Cheap brandy like the brand you mentioned can have caramel color added because it isn’t aged very long in oak. I am happy to make a note in the post about this. For the most part, as I mentioned clearly in the post, pure distilled brandy is gluten free and doesn’t contain cheap coloring like the one you mention.