LIGHT DELIGHT: EMBRACING THE GLUTEN-FREE SPIRIT
I’ve been writing this column for 14 years. It took less than a year for me to receive my first inquiry, of what I was to discover was to become a regular inquiry, into what, if anything, alcoholic can a person with celiac disease drink? And also, can you name a beer that works? It was the first time I had ever heard of celiac disease. Since then, of course, gluten-free products have shown up everywhere.
Rather to my astonishment, not all distilled products are gluten-free. Theoretically, distillation should denature the protein. (Gluten is a protein.) However, it turns out that many spirits have some low temp distilled additives for flavour and texture. And unless the distiller is willing to certify as gluten-free, it is too much risk to change mash bills and alienate current drinkers.
However, at least one major label has made the leap. Stolichnaya now lists a gluten-free vodka on the shelves here. Traditional Stoli has a slightly earthy nose, earthier than, say, Smirnoff. In the Stoli gluten-free version, the mash bill has been changed to eliminate all grains which contain gluten (wheat, rye, etc.) It is distilled from corn and buckwheat. Buckwheat, despite the name, is not related to wheat. It counts knotweed and rhubarb as relatives, and is considered by plant scientists to be a pseudocereal. (If case you don’t have a farmer for a relative to explain, gluten is primarily found in cereals, which is to say grasses.)
Stoli Gluten Free lacks that earthy bouquet. If anything, it is slightly floral. It is extremely light, virtually like ethyl alcohol, which indicates a tremendous purity of distillation. This, of course, would have been the goal for a gluten-free product. The finish is remarkably light with not much burn.
A direct contrast to Stoli Gluten Free is Wyborowa, an old favourite of mine because, if you stop and think after swallowing, you’ll likely notice a very slight nuttiness on the palate. You will also find that traditional vodka burn. However, the bouquet of Wybo is quite light. I’d guess a very high temperature distillation and is remarkably pure.
Crystal Head Aurora Vodka is the latest of the Ackroyd products, and proof that Dan is much smarter than I am. (How could a cynic like me not think of vodka in a skull bottle? Guaranteed audience!) It can no longer be called Crystal Skull because that offends the LCBO. It refused to stock it initially, thinking the bottle too macabre for Ontario sensibilities. It, too, is an extremely light vodka, distilled seven times from Newfoundland water and then filtered through Herkimer diamonds. There is just the slightest hint of a sweet cereal to the bouquet but otherwise it, too, smells primarily like ethyl alcohol. The finish is very fine with minimal burn.
Having said that, the packaging is brilliant, with a metallic sheen to produce Aurora colours, and will sell like hotcakes off the shelf and by the glass on the back-bar. There’s a reason Dan Aykroyd is much richer than I, and this bottle is proof.
Finally, to answer my original inquirer, yes there now are at least a dozen gluten free beers on the market. Sobey’s has an entire section labelled as such. A West Coast craft brewery has decided to make this its niche. However, I suggest you also try Mongozo, if for no other reason than when out of the country you’re more likely to see Mongozo listed than a Canadian craft product. VODKA OF THE WEEK: Crystal Head Aurora $90 OTHER CHOICES: Stolichnaya Gluten Free $26
Wyborowa Wodka $26 Other wine news on twitter.com/ drbooze