Which vodkas are gluten-free?
Six of the fourteen vodkas here are made without any grain at all: Tito's, Deep Eddy and Smirnoff No. 21 from corn, Chopin and Luksusowa from potato, Cîroc from grapes. Those are the ones that can carry a gluten-free label. The other eight are wheat or rye, and that includes most of the premium shelf.
Every vodka here, by base material
| Brand | Made from | ABV | Gluten-free label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chopin Potato | Potato | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Cîroc | Grapes | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Deep Eddy Original | Corn | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Luksusowa | Potato | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Smirnoff No. 21 | Corn | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Tito's Handmade Vodka | Yellow corn | 40% | ✓ Yes |
| Absolut | Winter wheat | 40% | Not by label |
| Belvedere | Dankowskie rye | 40% | Not by label |
| Grey Goose | Winter wheat | 40% | Not by label |
| Ketel One | Wheat | 40% | Not by label |
| Reyka | Wheat and barley | 40% | Not by label |
| Russian Standard | Winter wheat | 40% | Not by label |
| Skyy | Wheat | 40% | Not by label |
| Svedka | Winter wheat | 40% | Not by label |
"Not by label" means the spirit is made from a gluten grain, so US rules bar the claim. It does not mean gluten was detected.
Why that is the answer
Distillation removes gluten. The protein is far too large to carry over in the vapour, which is why the Celiac Disease Foundation and Beyond Celiac both say distilled spirits are safe for coeliacs whatever grain they started as. What a wheat vodka cannot do is print "gluten-free" on the label: FDA and TTB rules reserve that claim for products not made from a gluten-containing grain in the first place. So the honest answer has two halves. Chemically, Grey Goose is almost certainly fine. Legally it is not gluten-free, and if you would rather not be the test case, the corn, potato and grape bottlings below never had the question.
FAQ
Is vodka gluten-free? ▾
It depends what it was distilled from. Corn, potato and grape vodkas are gluten-free outright. Wheat and rye vodkas are gluten-free in practice, because distillation strips the protein, but cannot legally be labelled gluten-free in the US. Most coeliacs tolerate both; some report reacting to grain-based spirits.
Is Tito's gluten-free? ▾
Yes. Tito's is distilled from yellow corn, contains no gluten grain at any stage, and labels itself gluten-free.
Is Grey Goose gluten-free? ▾
Not by label. Grey Goose is distilled from French winter wheat, so it cannot carry a gluten-free claim in the US, though distillation removes the gluten protein itself. Ketel One, Absolut, Skyy, Svedka and Russian Standard are all wheat too, and Belvedere is rye.
Which vodka is safest for celiac disease? ▾
A vodka that never met a grain: Tito's, Deep Eddy or Smirnoff No. 21 from corn, Chopin or Luksusowa from potato, Cîroc from grapes. That removes the question rather than answering it.
Informational only, not medical advice. If you have coeliac disease, your own tolerance matters more than any label.