Top 5 Gluten Free Spirits
Bogey’s Guide to Wine:
Top 5 Gluten Free Spirits
By Zach Glassman, Certified Specialist of Wine
With the rapid onset of celiac disease and so many people opting to keep a gluten-free lifestyle, it’s becoming easier to find spirits that are naturally gluten free. Healthline.com wrote an excellent article on how to order gluten free spirits in restaurants and bars and I’m creating an extension of that by telling you about some particular brands that I feel make some truly delicious gluten-free spirits in 5 different categories: Rum, Tequila, Vodka, Gin, and Whiskey.
#5: Bumbu Original Rum - Ok, so I’m starting off by cheating a little bit: Rum is naturally gluten-free! But as an excellent option, its inclusion here seems, well, natural! Wine Enthusiast gives it 91 points for good reason - ”a maple syrup hue and fruity, peach nectar-like notes on the nose and palate. Look for a lightly sweet flavor, evoking brown sugar, vanilla, fruit and nuts, with a round, cinnamon- and ginger-laced finish.” Who wouldn’t want to drink that??
$36.99
#4: La Gritona Reposado Tequila - Tequila, made from Agave, is another great choice if you’re avoiding gluten. And my new favorite among them is La Gritona Reposado. For those of you who don’t already know, tequila generally comes in 4 forms: Blanco (or Silver), Reposado (or Gold), Añejo, and Extra Añejo. The form is determined by how long the tequila is aged, from “not aged” (Blanco) to “3+ years” (Extra Añejo). La Gritona stands apart from other Reposados by being very Blanco in its flavor - it retains a good vegetal flavor and forgoes the usual oak charred flavor that other Reposados get. Great to drink straight or on the rocks, or even blended into a cocktail!
$39.99
#3: Matchbook Distilling’s Blingnova Corn Vodka - Located in Greenport, NY, Matchbook Distilling’s Blingnova Corn Vodka is made from 100% New York corn and, thus, is gluten free! Vodka, as you may be aware, is traditionally made from wheat, but more recently has been made from corn, potato, and even honey! The famously popular Tito’s Vodka is made from 100% American corn out of Texas, so using corn isn’t without precedent. Blingnova Corn Vodka is absolutely beautiful and not something you see every day. Matchbook describes it brilliantly: “You go through your life smelling something, like corn, all the time. You have a memory for it - it’s familiar. And then you smell it again, only this time, it’s the most corn-rich corn smell you’ve ever smelled.. like the volume has been turned up, LOUD. It’s a smell you never knew you were missing, but as soon as you get up close to it, it makes you long for it in a most nostalgic way, as with borrowed memories of someone else’s grandmother's cooking.”
$34.99
#2: Bluecoat American Dry Gin - Named for the brave Americans fighting for their independence from the British in the Revolutionary War, Bluecoat American Dry Gin takes a British concept and turns it into something uniquely American. Still retaining its Juniper roots, Bluecoat features purely organic botanicals like Orange and Lemon (light and refreshing citrus), Angelica Root (soft, slightly sweet, and woodsy), and Coriander Seeds (floral and lightly vegetal), and because it’s made without gluten, it remains entirely viable for this list. Absolutely delicious and a great alternative to buying British if you’re still feeling the fight in you 250 years later.
$27.99
#1: Glenfiddich 12 Year Single Malt Scotch Whiskey - Winning more awards than I have the space to talk about, Glenfiddich’s 12 Year Single Malt is a spectacular accomplishment of Scotch. From their website - “Carefully matured in the finest American oak and European oak sherry casks for at least 12 years, it is mellowed in oak marrying tuns to create its sweet and subtle oak flavours.” Gluten free, and so so so easy to drink.
$69.99