Hosted by Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger
By: Let’s Talk Kashrus
The bourbon industry has spilled over from being the safest walk-a-straight-line mashkeh to an area fraught with kashrus challenges. This is because, inherently, bourbon is an aged drink. Can mashgichim delve into years of shared ownership and aging processes?
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Rabbi Hisiger:
In regards to chometz she’avar alav haPesach, why is there more of a concern with bourbon than other whiskeys?
Rabbi Fishbane: Good question. Bourbon is American-made, so it happens to pass through many Jewish hands, whether at the bottling process, the storing, or the distribution, or even behind the scenes. For example, when a bourbon manufacturer runs out of the base alcohol, they might buy it from the Jewish fellow down the block.
It’s much more prevalent than with scotch, which is less of a Jewish-owned industry out in Scotland, or Irish whiskey. So bourbon does have more Jewish involvement.
Let’s contrast that with the typical application we’d receive to certify potato chips. Day One: application received. On that same day, you can watch the potato be removed from the ground, scrubbed, sliced, fried, with bishul Yisroel ensured if you’re machmir. The next day, it’s in a bag and you’re snacking to your heart’s content, creating a mess in your car. Right?
Not so with bourbon. Bourbons are aged. So when you walk into a factory, you need some intel to figure out, okay, what happened here? It’s one of the things that we mashgichim need to have: time machines! You’ve got to recreate the scene. What happened here eight years ago?
It’s quite fascinating. Just a short time ago, in relation to kashrus, bourbon was the safest drink; four ingredients, nothing else.
I have to tell you that the industry has exploded. We’ve gotten more knowledge, and it’s not so pashut anymore.
Little did I realize that people actually buy barrels and age them in their own basements!
There was a yungerman from Lakewood who purchased several hundred thousand dollars of bourbon from a Jewish-owned company that never sold their chometz. He aged it in his cellar, and boy, what a nisayon to have! Should he pour it all down the drain? Can he give it away? These are real shailos for a rav. It’s not pashut. Are you allowed to give it away? How far does the gezeirah of chometz she’avar alav haPesach go?
Rabbi Hisiger: That’s a straight up tough shot to swallow. Now, one of the things that became very popular on Motzaei Pesach, especially among bnei Torah, is to seek out non-Jewish establishments from where to purchase beer and spirits from.
People don’t want to rely on a mechirah. I’m not looking to stir up controversy. I’m asking a very practical question. What would you advise them to do? Should they go to their local Jewish grocery store, which ostensibly conducted a bona fide mechirah? Or should they purchase from a local ShopRite? Is there a better mehalech?
We’re talking about Motzaei Pesach, or before a couple of days have passed. Where should one buy bourbon? Plus, there’s the mitzvah of v’hechzakta bo to reckon with.
Rabbi Fishbane: If you’ve really done your research and that particular supermarket is b’emes not a Jewish-owned establishment, that is a better choice for those who don’t want to rely on the mechirah.
But on the other hand, if you are mesupak about the ownership of that chain, or if the distribution company might be Jewish-owned, you might as well purchase from a frum ehrliche Yid who did the mechirah k’halacha.
I’m not here to pasken l’halacha. I’m just raising the questions that an educated consumer would wish to be informed about. After all, she’ailas chacham is chatzi teshuvah.
In One Shot:
With Jewish involvement being more prevalent in the bourbon industry, coupled with its aged properties, an educated consumer should inquire before imbibing.
As with all the topics we’re discussing here, the yochid should follow the guidance of their own rav, because indeed there are many who machshir even if the company was jewish owned, specifically when it comes to schnapps.
The Takeaway:
Your to-do list:
- Don’t extrapolate from year to year.
- Seek out available lists from major Kashrus agencies that you trust, and follow their guidelines.
- A note of caution: make sure you obtain the most recent information compiled for this year.
Terms Defined:
Chometz She’avar alav HaPesach is a Gezeira d’rabbanan forbidding chometz that was in the possession of a Jew over Pesach. Since the Onesh for Chometz B’Pesach is Kareis, the rabbanan instituted this as a protective measure, and they were very strict about it.
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