Three whiskies and one vodka to sip during the Festival of Lights.

By Kelly Magyarics, DWS, CSX Editor-in-Chief

Sure you can toast with kosher wine during the eight nights of Hanukkah, but what if you want something a little more spirited? Try one of the kosher spirits on the market, which have their own regulations. For one, they have to have been produced from grain or sugar, not grapes. If they are aged, it needs to be in a barrel that never held non-kosher wine. Finally, the process needs to be overseen by a rabbinical authority, and any other ingredients, botanicals and flavorings must meet the regulations for being kosher. Here are four spirits that have produced by a kosher method—three are certified, and the fourth is formerly certified but still produced in the same way.

Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye

This whiskey is from Virginia, and like most of the distillery’s products, it is certified kosher. “For us, what it means is that a rabbinical authority has inspected our operations, our ingredients and our product labeling, and found it to be compliant with kosher laws,” says co-founder Scott Harris. This means they must maintain a clean facility, and use pure, non-grape-based wine products. The whiskey is aged in Minnesota white oak casks for just under two years. Harris points out that aging them in Port of Sherry casks, though common for whiskey producers, would render the spirits non-kosher. “Just like organic, the kosher mark on the label, called a hechsher, ensures the highest quality ingredients,” he says. “Think about how much better kosher hot dogs taste than regular hot dogs.”

Koval Spirits Single Barrel Bourbon

This Bourbon from Chicago is also aged in charred oak barrels from Minnesota—and made from a mash bill of corn and millet (the latter is one of the main cereals of Africa.) “We wanted to make a product that wouldn’t leave anyone out in times of celebration,” explains Becky Schultz, communications coordinator, who adds that all of their products are certified kosher. “Certifying our products as kosher is also representation of our identity as a Jewish-owned company.” Their Bourbon has aromas and flavors that range from mango, to vanilla, to peppery caramel, and can be sipped neat, with a little water or ice or mixed in cocktails.

Glenmorangie The Original 10 Years Old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

In 2010, this whisky was the first single malt Scotch to be declared kosher. Even stage of the process is inspected by a rabbinical authority, who will periodically check up on the distillery to make sure the process hasn’t changed. This particular expression from the Highland producer is aged 10 years in Bourbon casks, where it develops a balance between sweetness and complexity and results in a spirit that is soft, mellow and creamy. Not every release from Glenmorangie will be able to obtain the certification as others are aged in Port or Sherry barrels, which were originally used to mature fortified non-kosher wines.

Square One Basil Vodka

Technically, new bottles of this flavored vodka are no longer certified kosher, as the producer dropped the certification due to significant prices from the certifier. However, the process is still the same, and so is the final product. (And there are some bottles on the market that have the kosher certification symbol.) “We haven’t changed what we do from when we did get kosher certified, and continue to meet the stringent guidelines and documentation requirements for the organic certification,” notes Margie Goolan, director of marketing communications and events. The spirit is infused with the essences of four basil varieties—Genovese, Thai, lemon and sweet—along with coriander, honeysuckle and lemongrass. It’s perfect in a Bloody Mary or any Mediterranean- or Asian-inspired libations.

Kelly Magyarics, DWS, is CSX’s editor-in-chief. She can be reached by email at kelly@drinkCSX.com, or on Twitter and Instagram @kmagyarics.