Buffalo Trace Launches ‘World’s First Kosher Whiskey’

Mazel Tov!

Buffalo Trace has come up with a boozy new way to celebrate the end of Passover. 

The Kentucky distillery is releasing what it believes to be “the first authentic Kosher Whiskey,” which the brand says it developed under the guidance of the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc).

The new whiskey is available in three styles: Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon; Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon; and Kosher Straight Rye Whiskey. All three whiskies will starting shipping after Passover ends on Thursday, April 16.

Kosher law mandates that whiskey should not be owned or consumed by Jews during Passover. Buffalo Trace says that 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 President Mark Brown, where they were filled with whiskey and put away in specially marked ‘Kosher whiskey’ barrels to age.”

Once the whiskey reached its desired age earlier this year, the bottling lines at the distillery were flushed completely beforehand to ensure the whiskey was not exposed to any non-Kosher spirits, says a Buffalo Trace spokesperson.

The kosher whiskey will sell through wholesalers and retailers after it’s shipped on April 16 until Passover begins again in 2021.

“This is a milestone in the spirits industry to produce a truly Kosher whiskey,” said Mark Brown, owner of the Kosher barrels at Buffalo Trace. 

“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.”

Buffalo Trace plans a limited, annual release each year after Passover. The labels depict both the Buffalo Trace Distillery logo and the cRc-Kosher logo. 

Each expression of Buffalo Trace Kosher Whiskey has a suggested retail price of $39.99 per 750ml bottle.