Gluten Free ???

[grumpthehermit]

Hello All,

I've been reading up on Gluten / Wheat intolerance.

I suffer from a rash on my arms and back that comes and goes and have never really worked out what causes it . My current thought is that perhaps it's a gluten thing and I am going about trialing a gluten free diet to see if it makes an improvement.

:?

Being that I like whiskey, and am using flavours in neutrals and have the SS Whiskey Profile Kit I thought I better check this aspect out to see if they are considered as gluten free.

This is what I have found so far, if anyone has any further info I'd love to hear it.

:-D

Jameson - My store bought whiskey of choice claims to be gluten free, :-D These comments are from the "ask the expert page"

"First Name: Gurri

Q - Morning! Love Jameson, Is it gluten free? Thanks, Margarita, a big fan.

A - Hi Gurri This is a very interesting question and undoubtedly a very serious one, as Celiac disease or gluten intolerance affects many people. Rest assured Jameson is gluten free and safe for celiacs to drink The latest scientific research has indicated that whiskey is safe as the process of distillation removes any traces of gluten. Indeed even distilled vinegar made from grain is safe. Were Jameson to be aged in old beer barrels then this would be a concern but all Jameson is aged in ex- bourbon barrels or sherry casks. It is therefore gluten free."


I got an email back from Mal West at Samuel Willards today -

"the only flavours of ours that have gluten are the whiskey's, not including the bourbons"

Next is from Edwards Essences website-

"All Edwards Essences are wheat and gluten free and proudly carry the Australian Made logo."

Still Spirits - Website and info found on another website.

I am Gluten intolerant. Which Still Spirits flavours do not contain any Gluten?
The following Still Spirits flavouring products do not contain any wheat products and are thus safe for gluten intolerant people:
Classic Calypso Rum
Classic Gin
Classic London Dry Gin
Classic Navy Dark Rum
Classic Scotch Whisky
Top Shelf Apricot Brandy
Top Shelf Cherry Brandy
Top Shelf Coffee Rum
Top Shelf Dark Rum
Top Shelf Dry Vermouth
Top Shelf Orange Brandy
Top Shelf Peach Schnapps
Top Shelf Tequila
Top Shelf Triple Sec
The following yeasts also do not contain any wheat products and are thus safe for gluten intolerant people:

Classic Turbo
24hr Express Turbo
Heat Wave Turbo
Turbo Power Yeast
Turbo Triple Distilled

I also read elsewhere that the Whiskey Profile Kit ingredients / profile additives A,B and C contain "traces" of Gluten.
I am still waiting back on an e-mail from Still Spirits to confirm or deny that one.

SO, that's it so far, I am still searching and reading and would love input from anyone regarding gluten intolerance and flavors they have tried and if they feel they have had a reaction due to using an essence ???

What I am still wondering though ....

Will a DWWG ( wheat germ) wash that is refluxed or pot stilled carry gluten over into the final product ??? :shock:

Cheers
GTH

[SBB]

I'll be watching this thread with interest Grump, as My sons girlfriend is gluten intolerant as is her father.

[R-sole]

Before you go to the trouble of trialling a diet, why not ask your doctor for the simple. free blood test that will tell you if you have a reaction to gluten?

[grumpthehermit]

Yes,

I have talked about doing that, but I'm all talk and no action. I should pull my finger out and go back to a doctor, I have not been to one for years ...

Our old family doctor told me I had psoriasis, told me I would have it for life and prescribed cortisone, another doctor I showed it too ( when there for something else ) said he was not sure what it was and suggested I would have to come back for a prick test and they would try a bunch of allergens on me and see how my skin reacted.

I never went back ...

My Medicare card expired about 6 years ago, I should probably get that sorted first ... :lol:

Cheers
GTH

[R-sole]

My doctor checked for me for some reason not long ago. it's just a blood sample nowadays.

[grumpthehermit]

Pulled my finger out and got a blood test on the way home.

Find out next Wednesday ... :mrgreen:

Not eating wheat until I know the results regardless just for sh1ts and giggles ... :?

If I'm not wheat intolerant the next step is they want to hack a small piece out of me for a closer look ...

Hmmm ...

Anyways ...

E-mail back from Candice Pryor at Still Spirits today confirms the following -

Thankyou for your email. The following Profile packs contain gluten -

Top Shelf Whisky Profiles A, B & C

The Top Shelf Whiskey Profile "D" is gluten free as are all the rest of the flavour notes in the Whiskey Profile Kit.

The "D" profile is the Bourbon flavour ...

More return E-mails pending I have sent a few off to some of the "popular" Whiskey companies ...

Cheers
GTH

[MacStill]

Pulled my finger out and got a blood test on the way home.

Find out next Wednesday ... :mrgreen:

Not eating wheat until I know the results regardless just for sh1ts and giggles ... :?

If I'm not wheat intolerant the next step is they want to hack a small piece out of me for a closer look ...

Hmmm ...

Anyways ...

Cheers
GTH

Good luck with that, there's a few of us here with pieces missing & or scar tissue, so we know how you must feel mate.

[grumpthehermit]

Thanks Mac. :-D

Hopefully the blood test is enough ...

:?

E-mail back from info@glenfiddich.com tonight.

"Yes, we can confirm all our products are gluten free."

I'm thinking all whiskey makers of a mass produced nature are going to give me the same response.

I was concerned that pot stilling ( or even refluxing !!! ) a wash with wheat in it might be able to carry gluten over into the distillate.

So far this seems to not be the case ...

Still reading any info I can find to understand it all better, I find the whole gluten thing very interesting ....

;-)

Cheers
GTH

[Frank]

Hey GTF
beyond the sound advice about, and actions from you about, getting tested for Coeliac/gluten intolerance-type issues, may I suggest (based on my dad's diagnosis and subsequent actions, at least) that regardless of any medical results, you will still find LOTS of alcoholic consumption options of your choosing :handgestures-thumbupleft: ;-)
Mind you, (IMHO) your investigation/postings here have added LOTS to this forum. Thank you, this is a thread that hopefully will continue.

[radascar]

Hi Grumpthehermit, many thanks for the info. Let us know how you go with info on the SS Whiskey Profile Kit. This stuff is pretty important to an unfortunate few.

[grumpthehermit]

Thanks Frank. :-D

G'day Radascar,

All the info I have regarding the SS Whiskey Profile Kit is mentioned above already.

The profile's A,B & C contain gluten, but the D profile does not, the D profile is for Bourbon.

All the other flavour notes in the kit like peat, caramel, fruity esters etc are all gluten free according to SS

Cheers
GTH

[Frank]

....... All the other flavour notes in the kit like peat, caramel, fruity esters etc are all gluten free according to SS
....GTH

If its (flavoured) Scotch type whiskey you are after.... IMHO caramel is not needed (a decent oak stick soak will give you a good colour and much better base) and fruity esters are..well fruity :roll: The peat smoke ethanol base, on the other hand, WILL add something to your flavour profile for sure. Just (a least at first) be careful re quantity...... :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[grumpthehermit]

Another response ...

I emailed - Spirits.Unlimited@xtra.co.nz

From my Google searching they appeared to be the ones making several flavours including the "Gold Medal" brand of flavours you can find at your local HBS.

They passed it on internally and I got this yesterday,

Good afternoon Grump.
With gluten free we need to be very specific, is it celiac disease ?, as gluten is the generic name for the protein in grain. So wheat , barley, oats, maize and even rice all contain “gluten”
So if we are saying wheat/barley/oats which is usually the problem with some people, then our malt whiskey are out for you, even though they contain only distilled grain extracts and virtually no protein.
So you need to look at the white spirits, gin and vodka or rum ,bourbon and brandy.
That said most flavors are darkened with caramel made from starch or sugar. If you are highly intolerant, caramel made from wheat starch could contain a tiny percentage , like 0.005 protein . During the manufacture of caramel it is cooked at very high temperatures with a drop of acid so any protein is certainly denatured.
Alternatively drink beer, we produce a gluten free Beer Kit made from other grains and sugar caramel. We get very good reports about it .
Cheers
Peter Wheeler

29C Paramount Drive, Henderson,
Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
PO Box 317111, Hobsonville,
Auckland 0664, New Zealand
Ph:09-837-3311, Fax:09-836-5391
Email:spirits.hbcl@xtra.co.nz
Website:www.spiritsandbrewing.co.nz
http://www.vodkamaker.com

Cheers
GTH ;-)

[Kimbo]

cant get much more honest than that :handgestures-thumbupleft:
theres a person who knows their products and processes ;-)

[radascar]

Thanks for the good info. From the limited googling that I've done, it seems that "distilled alcoholic beverages are gluten free because distillation effectively removes gluten proteins. They are not gluten free if gluten-containing ingredients are added after distillation". See:

http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/copin ... Drinks.htm
http://www.gluten-free-for-life.com/glu ... cohol.html (see video)

So need to watch the additives after distilling. As an aside, anyone recommend a site with good DIY infusion recipes?

Peter

[grumpthehermit]

My results are in.

According to the blood test, I'm not allergic to Wheat / Gluten.

BUT, I have been sticking to my gluten free diet since they took my blood and so far I see my symptoms clearing up and no new breakout has occurred. :think:

I'm staying Gluten free for one more week at least to see if my skin continues to clear. If it does get better and better I will have no choice but to stay gluten free and see how I fair in the coming months.

I read many sufferers seem to be stating they cannot drink products distilled from wheat grains despite what the research says to the contrary regarding the non-ability of gluten to be carried over into a final product.

For now I'm sticking to Edwards Essences mixed with a 40% TPW. :-D

Cheers
GTH

[wedwards]

Mate, I am in the same boat as you kind of. Had blood tests and colonoscopy and freakin cut bits out of me etc etc :o and all results came back that I don't have celiac disease. So I did some research and found that the blood test will only show intolerance at best, and you are not meant to be diagnosed as a celiac just on the basis of a blood test Also found that the other tests are only done on something like 3 or 5 out of the 7 or so proteins found in gluten or some medical mumbo jumbo.

Despite all the tests being clear, if I come in contact with gluten, it hammers my guts and colon for at least a week - usually takes 2 weeks to properly recover.

Having said that, distilled alcohol even from grains seems to be ok for me, but thanks to your list of essences, I can now explain why I had some real bad issues with a few cordials I have tried in the past.

Incidentally, if I drink mass produced name brand beers (from barley or wheat), I end up on the crapper for hours, but I don't get that if I have some good quality craft beers or beers I have made myself from grains (both from barley only - if its got wheat in it I feel like I wanna die shortly after).

For what its worth, I have eventually been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome at the ripe old age of 34 - also known as "what we tell you that you got when we have no friggen idea" :laughing-rolling:

Really appreciate the lists you have prepared, thanks.

[wedwards]

Actually I just realised that I havent knowingly had anything distilled from wheat, and sure aint going to willingly try it, but I just substitute barley where wheat is called for or make something else in both beers and whiskeys. From my reading and experience, depending on your intollerance levels, you might be able to handle a bit of barley even if wheat doesnt agree with you, because its a different gluten protein that is not the same as the gluten protein found in wheat.

Dunno....Im no expert obviously....take with many grains of salt....

[grumpthehermit]

Hey,

Glad the list was of some interest / use to you.

At this time my rash is almost completely clear and healed.

I have eliminated almost all wheat from my diet including bread and and wheat flour, have also dropped milk, coffee, and beer. Also soy milk and soy sauce are out.

I am still eating plenty of cheese however and drinking plenty of scotch in both store bought and flavoured neutral made from both tomato paste and from wheat using the DWWG recipe ( waiting for pot stilled spirit to age ... )

Something else I have done that I feel has made all the difference is vinegar, long story short check this out.

http://writen4u.hubpages.com/hub/Ill-have-the-eczema-and-a-side-of-vinegar

No bullsh1t ... Since getting onto vinegar My skin has never been this good since the rash first appeared all those years ago. It's still improving daily ... No more creams, lotions, steroids or coal tar ...

:D

Cheers
GTH

[wedwards]

yeah there is a lot of heath issues solves by a couple spoons of vinegar a day.....its freaky what some small changes can do for your overall health and well being....without cutting out the spirit consumption of course :laughing-rolling: