Buffalo Trace Distillery has released what they believe to be the first authentic Kosher whiskey, under the guidance of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc-Kosher).
The new whiskey is available in three styles: Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon, Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon and Kosher Straight Rye Whiskey. The three expressions will start shipping from Buffalo Trace after Passover ends on April 16, 2020. Kosher law mandates that whiskey should not be owned or consumed by Jews during Passover.
Buffalo Trace began working with cRc in 2010. In 2012, the cRc oversaw the sale of new American Oak Kosher barrels in a contract of sale to a non-Jewish executive, Buffalo Trace Distillery President Mark Brown. These barrels were filled with whiskey and put away in specially marked “Kosher whiskey” barrels.
Once the whiskey reached its desired age earlier this year, bottling lines at the distillery were flushed completely beforehand, to ensure that the whiskey was not exposed to any non-Kosher spirits, the company says.
Bottles will sell through wholesalers and retailers before Passover begins again in 2021.
“This is a milestone in the spirits industry to produce a truly Kosher whiskey,” says Brown. “We know Kosher products are very important to the Jewish community as well as a broader audience, we are fully committed to ensuring that the entire chain of custody remains Kosher so the purchaser has 100% confidence this is a Kosher whiskey.”
The new Kosher whiskey line is limited. It will become an annual release each year after Passover. The labels depict both the Buffalo Trace Distillery and the cRc-Kosher logos. Each expression of Buffalo Trace Kosher Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $39.99 per 750-ml. bottle.
“We’re excited that our partnership which we began ten years ago has come to fruition,” says Rabbi Sholem Fishbane, kashrus administrator Chicago Rabbinical Council, “Our members have shown great interest in the prospect of being able to enjoy a Kosher whiskey. We are very happy Buffalo Trace has taken the steps to make sure this happens.”
This news follows the distillery’s release earlier in April of Buffalo Trace Old Charter Oak Chinkapin Oak, the fourth in the company’s Old Charter Oak Collection.
Kyle Swartz is editor of Beverage Dynamics magazine. Reach him at kswartz@epgmediallc.com or on Twitter @kswartzz. Read his recent piece How Can Craft Distilling Survive The Coronavirus?
[…] First introduced in 2020, Buffalo Trace Distillery worked with the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc-Kosher) in 2010 to release what the company believes is the first authentic Kosher whiskey. […]