Are there sulphites in my drink?

Jordana Lee, March 15, 2021

What are sulphites in alcohol?
How can I find out if a drink has sulphites?
What alcoholic drinks have the most sulphites?
Why are sulphites used?

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Many people find they have negative reactions to sulphites used in alcoholic drinks. So how can you avoid these drinks? Are certain types of alcohol beverages worse than others? Here's everything you need to know about sulphites in alcohol.

What are sulphites in alcohol?

Sulphites are sulphur compounds that occur naturally in certain ingredients used to make alcoholic drinks. Sulphites help "prevent the growth of the bacteria that make the drink go cloudy and literally turn the alcohol to vinegar."

Many people believe sulphites added to drinks like wine and beer causes headaches. While there are some studies that disprove this, many people still want to avoid excessive sulphites when they can.

In more serious situations, sulphites can cause allergy-like reactions or intolerances. Common symptoms include:

wheezing, tightness in the chest (more likely in those with asthma)
hay fever symptoms
hives
anaphylaxis (rare cases, the most severe type of allergic reaction)

Below is a comprehensive list of different alcohol drinks, their brands and whether they contain sulphites. It's important to note that labelling laws are different in each country. Some places have to have "sulphites included" if they surpass a certain percentage.

While many of the beers, lagers and ales listed below are shown as "not containing sulphites" this means that there are no added sulphites included on the label. It's a good rule of thumb that beer does naturally include sulphites, but not enough to be included on the label like other drinks.

Drink Name	Brand	Drink Type	Common Size	Alcohol percentage	Contains Sulphites?	Sulphite Level
Absolut Vodka	Absolut	Vodka	70 cl	40%	No
Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider	Angry Orchard	Cider	500 ml	5%	Yes	The level of sulphites in Angry Orchard ciders is about equal to that found in an average glass of red wine, and a bit less than an average glass of white wine.
Aviation Gin	Aviation Gin	Gin	70 cl	42%	No
Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum	Bacardi	Rum	70 cl	37.50%	No
Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur	Baileys	Liqueur	70 cl	17%	No
Balvenie 12 Year Old American Oak Whisky	Balvenie	Whisky	70 cl	43%	No
Barefoot Shiraz Wine	Barefoot	Red Wine	75 cl	13.50%	Yes
Barefoot Chardonnay Wine	Barefoot	White Wine	75 cl	13.50%	Yes
Beck's Lager	Beck's	Lager	275 ml	4.80%	No
Birra Moretti Premium Lager	Birra Moretti	Lager	33 cl	4.60%	No
Blue Moon Belgian White	Blue Moon	Ale	330 ml	5.40%	No
Bombay Sapphire Gin	Bombay Sapphire	Gin	70 cl	40%	No
Brewdog Punk IPA	Brewdog	IPA	33 cl	5.60%	No
Bud Light Seltzer	Bud Light	Seltzer	12 fl oz	5%	No
Bud Light Premium Lager	Budweiser	Lager	30 cl	3.50%	No
Budweiser Premium Lager	Budweiser	Lager	33 cl	4.50%	No
Busch Beer	Busch	Lager	32 fl oz	4.30%	No
Captain Morgan Spiced Gold Rum	Captain Morgan	Rum	70 cl	40%	No
Captain Morgan White Rum	Captain Morgan	Rum	70 cl	40%	No
Carlsberg Danish Pilsner	Carlsberg	Lager	33 cl	3.80%	No
Casillero Del Diablo Malbec Wine	Casillero Del Diablo	Red Wine	75 cl	13.50%	Yes	Any wine containing more than 10 Parts Per Million (ppm) must state ‘Contains Sulphites’ on the label. In practice, this is in almost all wine produced. There are legal limits set for total sulphur dioxide depending on the sugar level of the wine. We comply with these legal requirements (ex. the permitted range starts at a maximum 200 ppm for white and Rose wines and maximum 150 ppm for reds with 5g or less of sugar)
Casillero Del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc Wine	Casillero Del Diablo	White Wine	75 cl	13.50%	Yes	Any wine containing more than 10 Parts Per Million (ppm) must state ‘Contains Sulphites’ on the label. In practice, this is in almost all wine produced. There are legal limits set for total sulphur dioxide depending on the sugar level of the wine. We comply with these legal requirements (ex. the permitted range starts at a maximum 200 ppm for white and Rose wines and maximum 150 ppm for reds with 5g or less of sugar)
Cazcabel Blanco Tequila	Cazcabel	Tequila	70 cl	38%	No
Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur	Chambord	Liqueur	70 cl	16.50%	No
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Whisky	Chivas Regal	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Ciroc Vodka	Ciroc	Vodka	70 cl	40%	No
Corona Extra	Corona	Beer	33 cl	4.50%	No
Crown Royal Black Whisky	Crown Royal	Whisky	75 cl	45%	No
Crown Royal Canadian Whisky	Crown Royal	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Dead Man’s Fingers Spiced Rum	Dead Man’s Fingers	Rum	70 cl	37.50%	No
Desperados Tequila Lager	Desperados	Lager	33 cl	5.90%	No
Disaronno Liqueur	Disaronno	Liqueur	70 cl	28%	No
Don Julio Reposado Tequila	Don Julio	Tequila	70 cl	38%	No
Echo Falls Pink Gin	Echo Falls	Gin	70 cl	37.50%	No
Estrella Damm Beer	Estrella Damm	Lager	330 ml	4.60%	No
Fireball Cinnamon Liqueur	Fireball	Whisky	70 cl	33%	No
Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Whisky	Glenfiddich	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old Whisky	Glenmorangie	Whisky	70 cl	43%	No
Godiva Chocolate Liqueur	Godiva	Liqueur	75 cl	15%	No
Gordon’s London Dry Gin	Gordon’s	Gin	70 cl	37.50%	No
Gordon’s Premium Pink Gin	Gordon’s	Gin	70 cl	37.50%	No
Greenall’s Original London Dry Gin	Greenall’s	Gin	70 cl	37.50%	No
Grey Goose Vodka	Grey Goose	Vodka	70 cl	40%	No
Havana Club Anejo 3 Year Old Rum	Havana	Rum	70 cl	40%	No
Heineken Premium Lager	Heineken	Lager	33 cl	5%	No
Hendricks Gin	Hendricks	Gin	70 cl	41.40%	No
Hop House 13 Lager	Hop House	Lager	33 cl	5%	No
Hpnotiq Blue Liqueur	Hpnotiq	Liqueur	70 cl	17%	No
Jack Daniels Old No.7 Whiskey	Jack Daniels	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Jagermeister Liqueur	Jagermeister	Liqueur	70 cl	35%	No
Jameson Black Barrel Whisky	Jameson	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Jameson Irish Whisky	Jameson	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Johnnie Walker Black Label Whisky	Johnnie Walker	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila	Jose Cuervo	Tequila	70 cl	40%	No
Kahlua Liqueur	Kahlua	Liqueur	70 cl	20%	No
Kopparberg Pear Cider	Kopparberg	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes	The amount of sulphites varies between different products and batches, but most of Kopparberg ciders contain on average 50-70 mg/l, expressed as total SO2.
Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime Cider	Kopparberg	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes	The amount of sulphites varies between different products and batches, but most of Kopparberg ciders contain on average 50-70 mg/l, expressed as total SO2.
Kraken Black Spiced Rum	Kraken	Rum	70 cl	40%	No
La Belle Etoile Pinot Noir Wine	La Belle Etoile	Red Wine	75 cl	12%	Yes
Magners Apple Cider	Magners	Cider	56.8 cl	4.50%	Yes	Levels of sulphites in Mangers ciders vary depending on flavour and packaging type (glass, can etc). For Magners Original Can approx. sulphite level is 20ppm.
Malibu Rum	Malibu	Rum	70 cl	21%	No
Michelob Ultra	Michelob	Lager	330 ml	4.20%	No
Monkey 47 Gin	Monkey 47	Gin	50 cl	47%	No
Old Mout Kiwi & Lime Cider	Old Mout	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes
Peroni Nastro Azzurro	Peroni	Lager	33 cl	5.10%	No
Pimms No.1 Cup Liqueur	Pimms	Liqueur	70 cl	25%	No
Rekorderlig Apple Cider	Rekorderlig	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes
San Miguel Lager	San Miguel	Lager	33 cl	5%	No
Skyy Vodka	Skyy	Vodka	70 cl	40%	No
Smirnoff Vodka	Smirnoff	Vodka	70 cl	37.50%	No
Sourz Cherry Liqueur	Sourz	Liqueur	70 cl	15%	No
Sourz Apple Liqueur	Sourz	Liqueur	70 cl	15%	No
Stella Artois Apple Cidre	Stella Artois	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes
Stella Artois Lager	Stella Artois	Lager	33 cl	4.80%	No
Strongbow Dark Fruits Cider	Strongbow	Cider	50 cl	4%	Yes
Suntory Roku Gin	Suntory	Gin	70 cl	43%	No
Thatchers Gold Cider	Thatchers	Cider	50 cl	4.80%	Yes	All of Thatchers ciders contain sulphites at less than 200 mg/L.
Thatchers Katy Cider	Thatchers	Cider	50 cl	7.40%	Yes	All of Thatchers ciders contain sulphites at less than 200 mg/L.
The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask Whisky	The Macallan	Whisky	70 cl	40%	No
Wild Turkey 101 Whiskey	Wild Turkey	Whisky	70 cl	50.50%	No

How can I find out if a drink has sulphites?

It's not always easy to tell if an alcoholic drink has sulphites in it, but thankfully new rules have been making it easier for consumers to find out.

The best place to check is the label. Many countries require "sulphites included" on the label. While they won't tell you how many sulphites, or to what percentage, it will at least give you an indication of if there are sulphites present.

Below are some examples of labels where sulphites are included.

While each label is different in its own way, they both include "sulphites" on the label. Even when we contacted manufacturers and companies directly, many wouldn't give a clear answer on how many sulphites are within their drinks, so it can be hard to get a clear number to compare.

What alcoholic drinks have the most sulphites?

If you're looking to avoid sulphites, here's some things to keep in mind.

A good rule of thumb is to assume all wines and ciders have a percentage of sulphites in order to preserve the freshness of the drink.
Beer is a little bit confusing. There are naturally-occurring sulphites in beer to help inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. However, most countries only require the label to include "has sulphites" if there is a high percentage (or added sulphites on top of the naturally occurring ones). The chart above shows "No Added Sulphites" on many of the beer options. This doesn't mean that there are no sulphites present, but the level of sulphites isn't high enough that it would warrant it to be listed on the label. While sulphites in beer are quite likely at a very low level, they may still be present as the yeast produces it during fermentation. If you are allergic to sulphites, or have a negative reaction to them, the level could still trigger a response.
Drinks with a higher alcohol percentage like whisky, vodka and gin will likely be without sulphites.

After new regulations were passed, the EU recommends that a "acceptable daily intake" of sulphites is 42mg per day for a 60kg female. Having said that, a medium glass of white wine contains 26mg of sulphites on average. Typically, white wine has more sulphites than red wine, but both types are often triggers for people with sulphites intolerances.

Some organic wines will be lower in sulphites, and some will call themselves "sulphite-free", although sulphites occur naturally in wine. To be "sulphite-free" under EU regulations, a wine must contain less than 10mg per litre. In practice, few people suffer a reaction to less than 20mg of sulphites. The maximum permitted level is 200mg per litre.

Beer usually has naturally-occurring sulphites but few had added sulphites on top of that. If you check the label, you'll likely see allergen notices for things like barley, oats, wheat and gluten, but likely not sulphites. If there is a higher percentage of sulphites, it should be listed on the label (such as Tetley's Cask).

Why are sulphites used?

Sulphites in food and drink have been around since Roman times, and will likely stick around for awhile longer. Sulphites work great at preserving food, minimising bacterial growth, reduce food spoilage, and can even help preserve medication.