Why is Rum not affected in the same way by distillation as other alcohols like Vodka?

Question

Is this true:

Distilled alcohol such as gin, vodka, scotch, whisky and rye are produced from fermentation and distillation of wheat, barely or rye. The distillation process separates the alcohol from the gluten proteins, producing an extracted product that is gluten free. Despite being manufactured from grains that contain gluten, the final product contains NO gluten."

Rum is distilled from sugar cane and is high in FODMAPs, so avoid if you can. However, it is a gluten-free option safe for those with celiac disease.

Why is vodka able to have it's gluten removed after distillation but when rum is distilled the sugar(s) [FODMAPs] is still an issue?

Quoted source: Alcohol That Doesn’t Make Your Belly Ache

@RoryAlsop I'm guessing he's asking why distillation removes gluten but not sugar. — Eric S, Oct 16 '18 at 21:55
Probably a chemistry issue. I'm assuming fructose is much small molecule than gluten. — Eric S, Oct 16 '18 at 23:12
I have made an edit to clarify your question. If it is not quite what you think it should be, please feel free to rollback it to the original form. — Ken Graham, Oct 18 '18 at 13:22
@KenGraham thanks. Overall i think it's better, but by the bold question at the end there seemed to be a mistake. I corrected it. Was it a mistake or did i misunderstand your edit? — larry909, Oct 18 '18 at 15:06
I asked this question on the seasoned cooking exchange and got a few answers, Should I delete this question or post a link to the answers? — larry909, Oct 18 '18 at 15:09

score 5 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 27 '18 at 05:02

There is nothing different about the distillation of rum. Just like with whiskey, brandy, vodka, etc. no sugar comes off the still.

What does happen a lot in the rum industry is the post distillation addition of rum, as referenced in Eric's answer (the author at Alcademics - Camper English - has done a lot of research on sugar in rums).

Sugar can have gluten contamination if it is produced near grain processing. Depending on the rum and where the producer sources their sugar, if sugar is added, there is a slight chance of this happening.

If you want to avoid any chance of additive sugar, you can target brands that don't use additive sugar like Foursquare from Barbados or any Rhum Agricole from Martinique (additive sugar is illegal for rums produced with the AOC from Martinique).

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 21 '18 at 00:37

3

I don't have any prior knowledge so I Googled the answer. According to this site and this other site, sugar doesn't make it past distillation. However, sugar is often added after distillation in rum.

answered Oct 21 '18 at 00:37

Eric S

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Why is Rum not affected in the same way by distillation as other alcohols like Vodka?

2 Answers2