ACCORDING TO MOST rabbinical authorities, it is allowed to age spirits – notably Irish whiskeys and scotch whiskys – in casks that formerly held non-kosher wine.
Rabbi Akiva Niehaus, Rabbinical Coordinator for cRc-Kosher – Chicago Rabbinical Council kindly cited references that would permit such whiskeys to both Ashkenazim and Sefardim. He is a rabbi – specializing in kashrut concerns; I am neither a rabbi nor expert in kashrut. I respect R. Niehaus’ opinion; I simply don’t accept it for my personal kashrut.
Never mind that the wine that had been in those casks would not be permitted if poured from barrel to bottle to glass.
Never mind that the REASON the whiskeys are aged in former wine casks is so the whiskey will absorb color and taste from the residue in the cask.
Finally, never mind that the 1/60th rule cannot apply since it applies to accidental mixtures, not –as in the case of the whiskeys, a deliberate mixing.
STILL, FOR THOSE WHO ARE “MAKPED” about their spirits, there ARE whiskeys and whiskys that are aged only in containers other than ex-wine casks.
The “weasel wording” above is because some potables are matured in former Bourbon barrels or “virgin” barrels; a few are aged in rum casks that were never used for wine.
The lists below for Irish whiskey and rums are primarily from the Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green web site (http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/).
This site lists, whenever possible, the containers in which the spirits are aged.
The same base URL provides information about other potables, including scotch, rum, and vodka, among others. Not all spirits are fully documented, but a great many are. Worst case, it greatly reduces the number of distilleries a curious person needs to contact.
CAVEAT When I asked the folks at one distillery if any of their products were NOT aged in wine casks, the reply was that some products were certified kosher by the chief rabbi. That, of course, did not answer my question re wine casks. (As it turned out, ALL of this distillery’s brand name products are aged in former wine casks.)
As an aside, a fellow I know used to frequently bring a bottle of Chivas Regal to his rabbi. The fellow changed synagogues. When he brought a bottle of Chivas to the new synagogue, the rabbi told him it wasn’t kosher (for the new rabbi) and to take the bottle away. Chivas is a blend of scotches, some of which are aged in former wine casks (according to an email from a Chivas spokes person).
Anyone who is not a “makped” can refer to the liquor lists from the major certification agencies1 in the U.S. However, be forewarned that the lists will not agree; what this agency considers “kosher” may be considered, if not trafe then at least “not kosher” by another agency. Some use both "acceptable" and "certified" to rate products; the difference escapes me.
The following Irish whiskeys were aged in former Bourbon barrels – with the exception of Hyde 10 year old Rum Cask Finish that is aged in rum casks that never held wine.
Click to enlarge image.
Sources
1. Spirits lists
cRc: http://www.crcweb.org/LiquorList.pdf
JSOR: http://www.jsor.org/PDF/KosherLiquorListfix.pdf
Star K: http://tinyurl.com/ya96gsuk
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