diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/datacache/QueryCacheStoreQuery.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/datacache/QueryCacheStoreQuery.java
index 119d0731f..904b6582e 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/datacache/QueryCacheStoreQuery.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/datacache/QueryCacheStoreQuery.java
@@ -464,6 +464,10 @@ public class QueryCacheStoreQuery
             return _ex.isAggregate(unwrap(q));
         }
 
+        public boolean isDistinct(StoreQuery q) {
+            return _ex.isDistinct(unwrap(q));
+        }
+
         public boolean hasGrouping(StoreQuery q) {
             return _ex.hasGrouping(unwrap(q));
         }
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/AbstractStoreQuery.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/AbstractStoreQuery.java
index ecf5199c2..2abe5de0e 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/AbstractStoreQuery.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/AbstractStoreQuery.java
@@ -184,6 +184,10 @@ public abstract class AbstractStoreQuery
         public boolean isAggregate(StoreQuery q) {
             return false;
         }
+        
+        public boolean isDistinct(StoreQuery q) {
+            return false;
+        }
 
         public boolean hasGrouping(StoreQuery q) {
             return false;
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/DelegatingQuery.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/DelegatingQuery.java
index ed4467edb..cc81bd183 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/DelegatingQuery.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/DelegatingQuery.java
@@ -343,15 +343,6 @@ public class DelegatingQuery
         }
     }
 
-    public void setDistinct(boolean distinct) {
-        try {
-            _query.setDistinct(distinct);
-        } catch (RuntimeException re) {
-            throw translate(re);
-        }
-    }
-
-
     public Class getResultType() {
         try {
             return _query.getResultType();
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
index 09d6b4419..475b5351d 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/ExpressionStoreQuery.java
@@ -382,6 +382,10 @@ public class ExpressionStoreQuery
         public final boolean isAggregate(StoreQuery q) {
             return assertQueryExpression().isAggregate();
         }
+        
+        public final boolean isDistinct(StoreQuery q) {
+            return assertQueryExpression().isDistinct();
+        }
 
         public final boolean hasGrouping(StoreQuery q) {
             return assertQueryExpression().grouping.length > 0;
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryContext.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryContext.java
index 050d01199..1869b541d 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryContext.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryContext.java
@@ -126,13 +126,6 @@ public interface QueryContext {
      */
     public boolean isDistinct();
 
-    /**
-     * Specify that the query will return distinct instances.
-     *
-     * @since 2.0.0
-     */
-    public void setDistinct(boolean distinct);
-
 
     /**
      * Scope of a mapping from the result data to its object representation.
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryImpl.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryImpl.java
index d86612a8e..e2e42b63d 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryImpl.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/QueryImpl.java
@@ -119,7 +119,6 @@ public class QueryImpl
     // these fields should only be used directly after we have a compilation,
     // because their values may be encoded in the query string
     private Boolean _unique = null;
-    private boolean _distinct = false;
     private Class<?> _resultClass = null;
     private transient long _startIdx = 0;
     private transient long _endIdx = Long.MAX_VALUE;
@@ -471,27 +470,6 @@ public class QueryImpl
         }
     }
     
-    /**
-     * Sets this query to return distinct result.
-     */
-    public void setDistinct(boolean flag) {
-        lock();
-        try {
-            assertOpen();
-            // allowed modification: no read-only check
-            _distinct = flag;
-        } finally {
-            unlock();
-        }
-    }
-    
-    /**
-     * Affirms if this query will return distinct elements.
-     */
-    public boolean isDistinct() {
-        return _distinct;
-    }
-    
     /**
      * Affirms if this query has originated by parsing a string-based query.
      */
@@ -1548,6 +1526,16 @@ public class QueryImpl
             unlock();
         }
     }
+    
+    public boolean isDistinct() {
+        lock();
+        try {
+            return compileForExecutor().isDistinct(_storeQuery);
+        } finally {
+            unlock();
+        }
+    }
+
 
     public boolean hasGrouping() {
         lock();
@@ -2014,6 +2002,10 @@ public class QueryImpl
                 q.getContext().getCandidateType(),
                 q.getContext().getQueryString()));
         }
+        
+        public boolean isDistinct(StoreQuery q) {
+            return _executors[0].isDistinct(q);
+        }
 
         public int getOperation(StoreQuery q) {
             return _executors[0].getOperation(q);
diff --git a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/exps/QueryExpressions.java b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/exps/QueryExpressions.java
index 79c9ae00f..41e7f0f25 100644
--- a/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/exps/QueryExpressions.java
+++ b/openjpa-kernel/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/kernel/exps/QueryExpressions.java
@@ -105,6 +105,10 @@ public class QueryExpressions
                 ? Boolean.TRUE : Boolean.FALSE;
         return _aggregate.booleanValue();    
     }
+    
+    public boolean isDistinct() {
+        return distinct != DISTINCT_FALSE;
+    }
 
     /**
      * Add an update.
diff --git a/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaExpressionBuilder.java b/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaExpressionBuilder.java
index 47a1be148..b4e250460 100644
--- a/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaExpressionBuilder.java
+++ b/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaExpressionBuilder.java
@@ -168,12 +168,8 @@ class CriteriaExpressionBuilder {
     }
 
     protected void evalDistinct(QueryExpressions exps, ExpressionFactory factory, CriteriaQueryImpl<?> q) {
-        if (q.hasFetchJoins()) {
-            exps.distinct = QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_FALSE;
-        } else {
-            exps.distinct = q.isDistinct() ? QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_TRUE | QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_AUTO
-                : QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_FALSE;
-        }
+        exps.distinct = q.isDistinct() ? QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_TRUE | QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_AUTO
+            : QueryExpressions.DISTINCT_FALSE;
      }
 
     protected void evalCrossJoinRoots(QueryExpressions exps, ExpressionFactory factory, CriteriaQueryImpl<?> q) {
@@ -267,7 +263,6 @@ class CriteriaExpressionBuilder {
             selections = new ArrayList<Selection<?>>(1);
             selections.add(r);
         }
-        boolean usingFetchJoin = q.hasFetchJoins();
         for (Selection<?> s : selections) {
             if (s.isCompoundSelection()) {
                 getProjections(exps, s.getCompoundSelectionItems(), projections, aliases, 
@@ -275,8 +270,6 @@ class CriteriaExpressionBuilder {
             } else {
                 Value val = (exp2Vals != null && exp2Vals.containsKey(s) 
                         ? exp2Vals.get(s) : ((ExpressionImpl<?>)s).toValue(factory, q));
-                if (q.isDistinct() && usingFetchJoin)
-                    val = factory.distinct(val);
                 String alias = s.getAlias();
                 val.setAlias(alias);
                 projections.add(val);
diff --git a/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaQueryImpl.java b/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaQueryImpl.java
index 421c8c8ee..91664be98 100644
--- a/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaQueryImpl.java
+++ b/openjpa-persistence/src/main/java/org/apache/openjpa/persistence/criteria/CriteriaQueryImpl.java
@@ -649,17 +649,6 @@ class CriteriaQueryImpl<T> implements OpenJPACriteriaQuery<T>, AliasContext {
         }
     }
     
-    boolean hasFetchJoins() {
-        Set<Root<?>> roots = getRoots();
-        if (roots == null || roots.isEmpty())
-            return false;
-        for (Root<?> root : roots) {
-            if (!root.getFetches().isEmpty())
-                return true;
-        }
-        return false;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Gets the string representation of the query.
      */