18 Responses

1. Good Grief!
   Who ever drinks those third rate brands? The good bourbons are still now on any issur list so enjoy Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Old Grandad, etc…

2. Whew! Thank goodness the vast majority of the best bourbons have been spared the axe. Who makes Old Williamsburg bourbon for Kedem?

3. If you stick to single malt scotch, which is better you can avoid all shilas

4. #3 — You ought to check that with your rov, the OU, the OK, or the CRC. Another reliable kashrus information source is http://www.kosherquest.org, administered by Rabbi Eidlitz, shlita, of Southern California. He is the author of the English book “Is It Kosher?”. There are single malt scotch whiskies that are aged in non-kosher sherry casks, which the distillers claim give an enhanced flavor to their scotch. Do everyone a big favor and don’t posken shailos when you don’t know what you’re talking about.

5. bourbon is better, it’s all opinion. Single malt has always had more shailos until now.

6. to Yaakov Doe #3

   Single Malt Scotch is not free of problems as most people think. You must check to make certain that it is not aged in a wine cask. The better ones are.
   Only Bourbon is shaila free, its cheaper and just as good.
   Try it, save and leChaim!!

7. To all those bourbon drinkers such as myself, not to worry. Some ideas- Elijah Craig? Good. Bookers? Good. Noah’s Mill? Good. Prichard’s? Good. Woodford Reserve? Good. Basil Hayden’s? Good. I think I’m covered for the holiday. L’chaim. Enjoy.

8. Lazer- you’ve obviously never indulged in some good Pappy! And Yaakov Doe- Scotch is great- for women! Real men drink Bourbon! L’chaim yidden! Ah freileche Yom Tov!

9. #3,
   its better if youre a woman!
   men drink bourbon!

10. Please note that many of these are NOT 3rd rate brands.
    Some are very fine bourbons, far preferred by our Kiddush Club, which very much appreciates craft bourbons.

    Regarding Scotch and especially single malt scotch, ALL them are aged in cooperage which includes Bourbon, Sherry, Port and other trefah barrels. Some people have issues with this, some not. For many, the issue depends on the use of trefah cooperage to induce purchase of the product. Bourbon is aged in new barrels only, not reused cooperage. Craft bourbons also have more character and flavor, are much cheaper and keep your $ in the States. Good enough reasons to prefer it over single malt scotches owned by British, French, Japanese and German companies. Of course we enjoy Scotch. We prefer craft Bourbons.

    If you check the names above, you will note that ALL of these products are made/owned or controlled by Sazerac. Draw your own conclusions. This campaign against Sazerac’s products began in May, 2010.

    Respectfully,

    Robert Jacobs
    Anshe Emes Kiddush Club
    Los Angeles, CA

11. I would think that Scotches were actually aged longer…

12. Actually bourbon is for yeshiva bochurim. Real men drink single malt scotches. And although there has been much rabbinical debate regarding sherry casks, many poskim hold that since the sherry casks are all over 1 year old that they go out of the klal of stam yainom and are mutter. Again though always check with your rov not with YWN blogs. I’ll take any single malt “Glen” over any bourbon anytime. And I’m ready to go one shot against one shot one on one with any bourbon drinker.

13. to theprof1
    while it may be true R. Moshe gave a heter, but chasidim are machmer. True that sherry casks can be over a year old, but the real problem is the rememnents of the sherry is still in many barrels when the whisky is put in it. The manufacturers like it because it enhances the scotch flavor, even in single blends. Bourbon is only NEW oak casks.
    to Nach:
    True Bookers, Bakers, Woodford, Knob Creek are excellent, still Jim Beam and Jack Daniels (call Yaakov Daniel in high places) is the Chevrolet of whiskeys and should be enjoyed as such.

14. A l’Chaim on a shtamperel of Czechoslovakian Shlivovits is a Mechaya!!! A git gebenchte yoor.

    As I tell the inmates who I visit: A gitt aqvital!

15. London Bais Din is matir all scotch.

16. To the prof1 #12

    “many poskim hold that since the sherry casks are all over 1 year old that they go out of the klal of stam yainom and are mutter”

    Many other Poskim hold that you cannot be “mevatel issur lechatchilo” which would therefore render the above heter useless.
    In addition to the above problem, it is “nossen ta’am lishvach” even when the issur is over 1 year old, and is therefore not pogum. The proof for this is that it DOES enhance the final whisky flavor to the degree that sherry and wine based whisky is in much higher demand and the sherry and wine flavors are the pride of the distilleries.

17. BS”D

    This whole discussion is proof positive that Yidden do not know how to drink.

    We large white furballs stick with 96% pure alcohol, distilled from wheat, which has no questions as to kashrus, and after a couple of lechaims with that stuff the taste hardly matters.

    In all seriousness there are so many deois regarding whisky that it is best to:

    1) Ask your own rov

    2) Restrict consumption of anything that may be problematic to your own home, so that there is no machloikes at public kiddushim or other events. There are enough fine whiskys and whiskeys that are easily available and considered 100% acceptable by even the most machmir rav (who as far as mashke is concerned is probably Rav Landa shlita whose list nevertheless includes some good stuff) or even supervised by the OU, Manchester Beis Din or LBD.

18. Rav Bick says bourbon is no problem.