Brands of Gluten-Free Sake

Celiac.com 09/28/2022 - We're always fielding questions about which products are gluten-free, especially alcohol products. Recently we've had a lot of readers asking if sake is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. Is sake gluten-free? The short answer is yes. Here's the rundown.

Sake is traditional Japanese rice wine and is made with four basic ingredients of sake: water, rice, yeast, and koji. As you probably know, the first three–water, rice, and yeast–are naturally gluten-free. Koji is a fungus that is used as a fermentation starter. Koji can be gluten-free, or may contain gluten depending on how it's made. 

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The koji in sake is always rice-based. In other words, so all four main ingredients are naturally gluten-free. This is especially true of premium sake.

Gluten-free sake lovers will be happy to know that premium sake is considered gluten-free. Premium sake is called "junmai," which means pure rice sake, and is considered the safest sake for gluten-free people. Premium sake is made with rice and pure ingredients and has no gluten ingredients.

Popular Premium Sake Brands that are Naturally Gluten-Free:

• Dassai
• Gekkeikan
• Ginjo
• Hakutsuru
• Kamotsuro
• Junmai
• Sho Chiku Bai 
• Sohomare
• Soto Premium Sake
• Taiku Junmai
• Tamagawa
• Tyku Junmai

Non-premium sake may or may not be gluten free. Non-premium sake, also known as futsushu, often contains additives and flavorings, and may contain gluten ingredients, although we're not aware of any that have been reported to test positive for gluten.