Is Gin Vegan?

Due to the usually sparse labeling on alcohol bottles, it can sometimes be difficult to confirm what ingredients are in your favorite booze. Nutritional content aside, you may also want to know if what you’re about to drink is free of animal byproducts. So, let’s take a close look at the question: is gin vegan?

The Majority of Gin is Vegan

According to Dominika Piasecka from The Vegan Society, the majority of distilled spirits are vegan.

“Fortunately, virtually every brand of hard liquor—bourbon, whisky, vodka, gin, and rum—is vegan,” Piasecka said. “Nearly all distilled spirits are vegan except for cream-based liqueurs and products that mention honey on the label.”

As Piasecka mentioned, one key non-vegan ingredient to look out for is honey. For gin, this is not a frequently used ingredient, but the gins that do contain honey will typically indicate so on the bottle. For example, Calendonia Spirits is clear in stating the use of raw honey in its Barr Hill Gin.

Other Non-Vegan Ingredients in Gin

Besides honey as an ingredient, some spirits use animal byproducts as a method of filtration to remove impurities. These byproducts can be isinglass (a material obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish), egg whites or gelatin. It is also worth noting that some vegans are cautious when it comes to the use of sugar, which can be filtered and bleached using cow bone char. However, depending on different applications of veganism, sugar may be fine for the vegan diet.

Furthermore, it has been stated that sugar does not actually contain bone char. 

“Refined sugar does not contain any bone particles and is therefore kosher certified. The bone char simply removes impurities from the sugar, but does not become a part of the sugar,” reported Caroline Pyevich in The Vegetarian Journal.

Still, if you’d like to steer clear of excessive sugar, London dry gin is a good choice. This popular style of gin can not contain added sweetening exceeding 0.1 grams of sugar per liter in the final product. This makes it one of the best classifications of gin to try if you’re looking for a spirit low in added sugars.

Additionally, there are a few gins out there made from the dairy byproduct, whey. A few of these gins are Bertha’s Revenge, Reid Brothers Distilling Native Gin, and the range of Hartington Creamery gins.

Use a Searchable Vegan Database

For extra assurance, you can always search a gin in question on the Barnivore database. Barnivore provides users insight into which spirit products are vegan-friendly and which are not through direct email contact with brands. For example, in a company email from Hernö Gin Distillery, it was confirmed that Hernö gin doe not contain any animal byproducts; however, beeswax is used in sealing the caps of the brand’s Juniper Cask Gin.

Barnivore will also let users know if the gin has used any isinglass for filtration, carmine (a red dye sourced from Cochineal bugs) or gelatin.

Gins Made From Ants

While it is true that the majority of gin is vegan-friendly, some spirits choose to go boldly against the grain.

Cambridge Distillery’s Anty Gin is a booze to avoid if you want to keep the well-being of insects in mind. Each bottle of Anty Gin contains the essence of, you guessed it, ants. 

A product description of Anty Gin on Whiskey Exchange says: “This Anglo-Danish vegan nightmare contains the essence of precisely 62 ants, which add a citrus flavour to the gin and are used instead of the more traditional orange or lemon peel.”

Luckily, all of  Cambridge Distillery’s other gins are vegan, as confirmed by Barnivore. So there are plenty of other offerings from the U.K.-based distillery to enjoy.

Anther gin made with ants is Green Ant Gin, which has Australian green ants added to it before and after distillation to give its a “citrusy pop.”

Unique Vegan Gins To Give a Try

Now that we know the majority of gin is safe for vegan imbibing, let’s take a look at some out-of-the-ordinary gins to try with high aggregated reviews.

Elephant Gin

Buy Now | Review

This 45% ABV gin is citrusy, spiced and fruity. Find Elephant Gin for around $50 dollars and know that 15% of all bottle sales goes to African elephant conservation projects!

Sipsmith Lemon Drizzle Gin

Buy Now | Review

It’s in the name, so of course this gin is packed with oodles of lemony goodness. Find this herbaceous citrus-forward 40.4% ABV gin for around $35.

Salcombe Gin Rosé Sainte Marie

Buy Now | Review

This floral gin has tasting notes of orange blossoms, spices and strawberries. Find this 41.4% ABV rosé-inspired gin for around $40.

Curious about other spirits? Find out if rum can be vegan here.

Read next:

Is Gin Gluten Free?

The Best Gins for Every Type of Tequila Lover

What is the Main Flavor in Gin?

Here at Gin Raiders, we do more than write about current events in gin and spirits. We are the only media property reviewing gins and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the gin world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of gin in your morning email, sign up for our Deal of the Day newsletter.