Is Rum Gluten Free?

If you are on a gluten-free diet and you are looking to try rum for the first time, you may be wondering, is rum gluten-free?

Pure, straight distilled rum is gluten-free. And, it’s considered safe to drink for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. However, flavored and spiced rum could contain additives and flavorings that contain gluten. So, ensure you read the ingredients label carefully.

We are committed to providing our readers with well-researched, helpful, accurate and reliable gluten-related information. And, we furnish them with this information via our articles and guides, created by a top-notch team of professionals from different relevant fields. We have been in the food industry for many years, and this comes with a lot of skills and experience. We can therefore guarantee all our readers that the information coming from us is beyond credible.

About Rum

Rum remains one of the most popular alcoholic drinks on the market today. The preparation of this product does not have a defined method of production. In many cases, it follows the following production method: harvesting of sugarcane, extraction, fermentation, distillation, and aging and blending.

If you were to visit any bar, liquor store or any other establishment that sells alcohol, there’s a high chance you will find rum on the shelves.

And, it’s easy to see why rum is so popular among alcohol enthusiasts. There are a few drinks that come close to rum when it comes to uniqueness, boldness and overall smoothness.

So, what exactly is rum? Rum is a type of spirit that’s produced from sugarcane products. Usually, rum is made using molasses, which is a by-product of sugar production.

While the actual procedure will vary from one manufacturer to the next, the basic steps remain the same. The first step will involve fermenting the sugarcane products. The distillation process will then follow, which will separate the alcohol from the residue liquid.

From there, some manufacturers will move into the third step of aging their rum. The aging process is responsible for the various varieties of rum, such as dark rums and white rums. The variety will depend on the aging method used.

Dark rum is mainly aged in bourbon or oak barrels while white rum is aged in steel tanks or barrels.

There are various benefits of rum. These include enhancing a healthy heart, fighting common cold, managing sore muscles, the use of rum as an antiseptic, and offers longevity of life.

However, like in the case of any liquor, you should consume rum moderately.

Does Rum Have Gluten?

We first need to understand what gluten is before we delve any deeper. Gluten is a naturally-occurring protein in various types of grains, and very dominant in wheat.

It acts as the binding agent that holds together barley, wheat, oats, farro, rye, semolina, durum and bulgur to give the grain its shape. Whereas it is not naturally found in oats, oats have gluten through cross-contamination.

Considering that gluten is naturally-occurring, you can’t separate it from these grains. Simply put, if a grain or cereal has gluten, then you can’t make it gluten-free.

And, if you’ve recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or you are starting on a gluten-free diet, you need to be extremely careful with whatever you eat or drink. For example, if you want to take alcohol, you should only take gluten free alcohol.

Bear in mind that stomach disorders can deteriorate at a high rate, and the best thing is to manage them early enough. As far as possible, the best thing is to prevent such conditions by avoiding consumption of gluten.

As you may probably know, if you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease and you proceed to consume anything with gluten, you will experience undesirable side effects, both short-term and long-term.

With such medical conditions such as celiac disease, you have no option but to be committed to a gluten free diet. It is not easy to follow this strict diet, but with time, you are going to develop positive food habits.

And if you are a rum lover, you may be probably asking yourself, is rum gluten-free? Does rum have gluten? Is rum safe for those on a gluten-free diet? Can you consume rum if you have gluten sensitivity?

The good news is that pure rum is gluten-free. As we pointed out earlier, rum is produced through the fermentation of sugarcane molasses and sugarcane juice. And, sugarcane doesn’t contain gluten.

So, we can confidently say that unflavored rums are naturally gluten-free and safe for people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Is Rum Safe for Celiac Disease?

Considering rum is made from sugar cane products like sugar cane juice and molasses. And, sugarcane doesn’t contain gluten, meaning it’s gluten-free. So, is rum gluten free?

As long as the rum you are drinking is pure and distilled, then you shouldn’t experience any negative issues.

However, before you drink any rum, it will be highly advisable to check the product labels. Ideally, you should only buy rum from brands that are transparent with the ingredients.

An increasing number of companies want to engage with the consumers and desire to have a transparent interaction with them. One of the ways of doing this is disclosing information about the ingredient used.

With this information available, the consumers can make an informed decision on matters that pertain to their health and well-being.

If a company is unwilling to reveal all the ingredients used to make its rum, there’s a high chance it’s using gluten-containing ingredients, which may prove harmful to you if you strictly follow a gluten-free diet.

Additionally, you should ensure the rum you are drinking has been made from facilities that are free from the risk of gluten cross-contamination.

Ideally, you should only buy your rum from companies that don’t produce any gluten-containing products. Any cross-contamination will mean that rum is no longer gluten-free, and you should avoid it.

Is Flavored Rum Gluten-Free?

Pure, straight rum is gluten-free and safe for people with gluten intolerance. So, is this also the case with spiced rum and flavored rums? Well, the reality is that you can’t be 100% sure that spiced rum will be gluten-free.

As you may expect, some of the flavorings and spices added to the rum may contain gluten. Ideally, you should avoid rums with flavorings if you are following a gluten free diet. When the preparation of products involves flavorings, it is very difficult to avoid gluten cross-contamination.

The Top Gluten-Free Rum Brands

While rum is considered a Caribbean drink, it’s produced from all parts of the globe, meaning there are hundreds of manufacturers out there. And, while pure, distilled rum is gluten-free, you need to ensure you purchase yours from a reputable manufacturer.

Reputable rum manufacturers have a top-of-the-line production process, which eliminates the risk of gluten-cross contamination. Also, these brands are transparent about the ingredients they use, meaning it shouldn’t be hard to tell whether your rum is gluten-free or not.

The top gluten free rum brands include Bacardi rum, Captain Morgan, Ron Barcelo, Myers, Cruzan, Kraken, Havan Club, Appleton Estate, and Montanya.

In addition to that, light rum is considered a gluten free rum product. However, if you intend to take light rum be very careful on evaluating if there is possible contamination.

Spiced rum such as captain morgan are considered gluten free and this is a spiced rum gluten free product. The same case applies to bacardi rum and by taking this product, you will be taking bacardi rum gluten free. .

Some of the rum from these brands has been certified gluten-free.