According to the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc) Liquor List, The cRc policy is that Scotch is permitted unless the label states that its aged in a wine cask, has special finish, or an extra maturation.
Star-K's liquor list states that all scotch is Acceptable WITHOUT CERTIFICATION EXCLUDING when labeled aged in Sherry or wine casks OR Highland Mist House of Stuart and Inver House. (Emphasis Star-K's.)
While that's "good enough" for most observant Jews, there are a few who believe that deliberately putting a potable into a cask formerly used to hold wine to deliberately add color and tastes from the wine residue renders the liquor non-kosher - unless, of course the cask held a kosher wine. To them, the 1/60th rule does not apply.
Finding out which single malt scotches are kosher, or at least not matured in former wine barrels, was a time consuming exercise with the results "subject to change." In most cases, I culled the casking information from the distiller's Web site; a few times the information came as a result of an email exchange. Most distillers seem pleased to tell us which of their products are aged in former Bourbon barrels or virgin oak barrels or were aged partially or entirely in former wine casks. I only encountered one that was reluctant to share the information.
CAVEAT: I looked only at distillers. Bottlers can buy from multiple distillers, so the following list is far from "all inclusive." All the whiskys below are, to the best of my knowledge, single malt; the list therefore does not include many popular blended brands (e.g., Chivas).
Note: I am NOT a rabbi nor do I play one on tv. The "OK by me" comment means that the product meets my kashrut standards, nothing more.
In the following table, "OK by me" means the whisky is aged solely in former Bourbon barrels or virgin oak casks.
"Mixed" means the whisky is matured in both Bourbon or virgin oak barrels AND former wine casks.
"Rum" means the whisky is aged in a cask that formerly contained rum of undisclosed type (may not be kosher).
"Wine" means the whisky is aged solely in casks that formerly held wine.
"Unknown" means I was unable to determine the type cask used for aging/maturing the whisky.
"KLBD"="London Beth Din Kashrut Division
| Name | Remarks |
|---|---|
| Aberlour (all) | Wine |
| anCnoc 16 | OK by Me |
| anCnoc 18 | OK by Me |
| anCnoc 35 | OK by Me |
| anCnoc Peter Arkle Casks | OK by me |
| Ardbeg 10 yr old | OK by Me |
| Ardmore | Unknown |
| Arran (all) | Mixed |
| Auchentoshan American Oak | OK by Me |
| Balveni -Caribean Cask 14 Year | Rum casks |
| Balvenie 21yr Port Wood | Wine |
| Balvenie Single Barrel 12 | OK by Me |
| Benromach Organic | OK by Me |
| Benromach Peat Smoke | OK by Me |
| Bowmore Legend (Bourbon) | OK by Me |
| Bowmore Small Batch | OK by Me |
| Bruichladdich | Mixed |
| Bunnahabhain Distillery (all) | Mixed |
| Caol Ila | Wine |
| Cardhu QUERIED 29 OCT | Unknown |
| Clynelish | Unknown |
| Cragganmore | Unknown |
| Cu Bocan` | Mixed |
| Dalwhinnie 15 year old (per email) | OK by Me |
| Deabston Spanish Oak | OK by Me |
| Deanston 12 yr old | OK by Me |
| Deanston Toasted Oak (Scotland only) | OK by Me |
| Deanston Virgin Oak | OK by Me |
| Dorus Mor | Wine |
| Dramguish -Any age | Unknown |
| Glen Garioch Vintage 1995 | Unknown |
| Glen Garioch Vintage 1997 | OK by Me |
| Glen Garioch Virgin Oak | OK by Me |
| Glen Grant 10 y/o | OK by Me |
| Glen Grant 16 y/o | OK by Me |
| Glen Grant Major's Reserve | OK by Me |
| Glen Moray | OK by Me |
| Glencadam | Unknown |
| Glenfiddich | Unknown |
| Glenlivet - Nadura 16 y/o | OK by Me |
| Glenlivet 12 y/o | OK by me |
| Glenlivet 15 y/o | OK by Me |
| Glenlivet 18 y/o | OK by Me |
| Glenmorangie 10 y/o (a/k/a Original) | OK by Me |
| Glenmorangie -Astar OU* | OK by Me |
| Glenmorangie -Ealnta | OK by Me |
| Glenrothes -Alba Resrve KLBD* | OK by Me |
| Hamashkeh | OK by Me |
| Highland Park | KLBD |
| Isle of Jura | Unknown |
| Lagavulin | Unknown |
| Laphroaig Cairdeas Port Wood | Wine |
| Laphroaig QA cask | OK by Me |
| McCleand's -Lowland | Unknown |
| McCleand's -Speyside | KLBD |
| McClellands | KLBD |
| Midleton -Bary Crocket Legacy | Unknown |
| Monkey Shoulder | OK by Me |
| Oban | Unknown |
| Old Ballantruan | OK by Me |
| Old Pulteny -12 Year | OK by Me |
| Prince Lordon | Unknown |
| Scapa | OK by me |
| Speyburn Bradan Orach | OK by Me |
| Tomatin 12 year old | Wine |
| Tomatin 14 year old | Wine |
| Tomatin 18 year old | Mixed |
| Tomatin -Legacy | OK by Me |
| Tomintoul -10 Year OU* | OK by Me |
| Tomintoul -14 Year OU* | Unknown |
| Tomintoul -16 Year OU* | OK by Me |
| Tomintoul -21 Year OU* | OK by Me |
| Tomintoul -33 Year OU* | OK by Me |
| Tomintoul -Peaty Tang OU* | Unknown |
| Tomintoul -Vintage 1976 | OK by Me |
| Tormore | Mixed |
A NOTE ON IRISH WHISKEYS
The cRc policy is that Irish Whisky is permitted unless the label states that it is aged in a wine cask, has special finish, or an extra maturation. The cRc lists several Irish whiskeys that, although not stated on the label, are aged in former wine casks. For a list of Irish whiskeys that are aged only in either former Bourbon barrels or in virgin oak casks, see Ahh, Ireland A little about Uisce Beatha
Star-K lists the most often found Irish whiskeys as "Not Acceptable."
