Some scotch whiskey is aged in casks that have previously been used for maturing wine (especially port or sherry). There are authorities that hold that there is no kashrus shilah for scotch aged in wine casks. However, Congregation Levy Yitzchak abides by the OU standard by not using scotch known to be aged in wine, sherry, or port casks. Most scotch whiskey remains acceptable. Any scotch where the bottle label mentions the use of wine, sherry, or port casks should not be brought to shul. Please note that almost all scotch bottled by Glenfiddich distillery is aged in sherry casks – please check the label carefully. In addition, any scotch whiskey bottled by Macallan or Glendronach distilleries should be avoided since all their releases use sherry casks. Extra caution should be applied with older single malt scotch whiskey since it is more likely to be aged in sherry casks. Blended scotch whiskeys and those aged in bourbon casks are acceptable.
Please feel free to contact either Rabbi Reuvan Nathanson or David Kaufman with any specific questions regarding the acceptability of any Scotch Whiskey.