6 Responses

1. On the Star-K’s website they have an article on alcohol in Halacha that was written years ago (http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-thirst-highspirits.htm#footnotes) which towards the end to quote directly

   “What about the whiskey manufacturers? After years of research, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of companies producing spirits are either large corporations that are publicly owned or are non-Jewish. There is a major American whiskey company that is Jewish owned that has been selling their chometz through the Orthodox Rav in Louisville, Kentucky for well over a decade. Moreover, the finished goods do not go directly to your neighborhood liquor store; they first go to large distributors that house great inventories of alcoholic beverages. In many large metropolitan areas, the owners of the liquor distribution companies are Jewish and do not sell their chometz. There is little control over what is distributed on Pesach. However, unless one knows for a fact that the liquor comes from a non-observant Jewish distributor that did not sell his chometz and owned the alcohol over Pesach, or if whiskey comes from the local Jewish liquor proprietor who did not sell his chometz and owned the liquor over Pesach, one need not be machmir. Since chometz she’avar alav haPesach is a rabbinic prohibition and we have a safek, a reasonable doubt, the halacha allows us to take a lenient position.”

   Does anybody have further information as to whether there was a change?

2. I guess I miss the point. Why only care about US companies? European scotch producers don’t face similar problems? If a company is publicly traded and a Jew owns some shares does that make the product Jewish manufactured?

   Please explain

3. who would drink anything in that above list when they can have Drambuie, Jack Daniels, Johnny Walker, etc?

4. it seems the hockers will never stop every hocker thinks only he discovered America, when the truth is this question is about as old as bourbon itself and its been said 500 times unequivocally that there is no problem. so if you have a need to hock do so at your own family’s expense and stop driving everyone else crazy

5. @jackr: Drambuie is a liqueur, Johnny Walker is a scotch, and Jack Daniels is a Tennessee Whiskey (close to a bourbon, but not quite). The bourbons listed above vary greatly in taste and quality and some (such as Pappy Van Winkle) are of a much higher quality than the 3 spirits that you listed. Now, for some these drinks may all taste the same, yet for many people they are as different as Snapple and Mountain Dew. Therefore, this article is very pertinent to them.

6. Naftali P – Yes, Star-K does say on their website “unless one knows for a fact that the liquor comes from a non-observant Jewish distributor that did not sell his chometz and owned the alcohol over Pesach, or if whiskey comes from the local Jewish liquor proprietor who did not sell his chometz and owned the liquor over Pesach, one need not be machmir.” However, the AKO (of with the Star-K is a member) states “we recommend that Kashrus Agencies and consumers change their policies and only consume those alcoholic beverages which…” meet these new criteria. Since the major Kashrus organizations were involved and agreed to this, it’s safe to assume that the Star-K will follow this and change their policies accordingly.