This question came up the other day: For our Jewish friends, amongst others, it’s necessary to be aware of the various kosher products that are suitable for consuming – and that of course includes cognac, along with various other alcohol and beverages.
With that in mind, we wondered if there was a definitive list that includes not only cognac, but wine and whisky as well. It would be interesting to know. To make it more complicated for non-Jews to understand, there are also different degrees of kosher, with the strictest being that which can be consumed during Passover.
All foods, wines, alcohol and beverages that are kosher certified are marked with the symbol OU, and for those that are okay to have during Passover are marked OU-P.
Kosher Cognac?
So, what cognacs are kosher certified? This is what we found:
– Dupuy Cognac XO
– Louis Royer Cognac VS
– Louis Royer Cognac XO
– Montaigne Cognac Napoleon
– Montaigne Cognac VS
It’s also interesting to note that any whiskey, including Irish, are not to be drunk as there is no guarantee as to the kosher certification. Various blended whiskeys do have the OU symbol, so can be enjoyed, as can a wide variety of Scotch that has been certified as kosher.
Wine is also a bone of contention, and should only be drunk if it shows the OU mark clearly on the label. There’s many another beverage that needs to be carefully considered before drinking as well, so whether your tipple is whisky, wine, cognac, vodka, sake or any other type of alcohol, you’ll need to do a little investigative work to find out if it’s kosher.
We’d love to know if there’s a definitive list anywhere – or any more kosher cognacs that people might be aware of. Any ideas? For instance, are Rémy Martin cognacs kosher, or the the ones from Hennessy?
Sources: chowhound.chow.com, www.kosher-wines.net, www.kashrut.com
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10 Comments
I am an Orthodox- Kosher consumer. Do note the following corrections and helpful facts: 1. that there are several certification marks for kosher products in addition to the O-U. 2. That the organization known as CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council) has a list of acceptable beverages. So does the “Star-K” of Baltimore. 3. Whiskeys are not inherently non-kosher. However there are factors that may render it problematic and a certification, or appearance on a list should be referred to for assurance of the kosher status.
Fyi, there exist very high quality kosher-for-passover certified Israeli brandies which taste as well )if not better) than the best XO cognacs. Examples are Carmel 120, Carmel 100, and Tishbi 16-years-old. Their prices are commensurate with the quality and taste. They are available in Jerusalem and in few other places in Israel, retail.
In recent years, several ultra-premium kosher-certified highly-aged rums became available on the market, which provide an excellent “similar-taste” kosher substitute for cognacs (although these offerings are not certified-for-passover). Specific examples are Abuelo Centuria rum from Panama with the “O.U.” certification, and the Flor De Cana 25-, 18-, and 12- years aged rums from Nicaragua with the “O.K.” certification.